Do No Harm
by kate657
Summary: Nathan Scott is Tree Hill's resident player who feels no guilt over the string of broken hearts trailing behind him. Haley James is as moral and good natured as they come. But even the best people can be hurt.
1. Hit & Run

**Do No Harm**

**Hit and Run **(1)

"_Look, Haley, I'm sorry. Can we at least talk about this?" Lucas asked. _

"_Talk about what?" Haley asked. She was looking down, up, around the room, anywhere but at him. _

"_I know you're upset about this," Lucas said. _

"_You're dating Peyton Sawyer. You've always had a thing for her. It's really no big deal," Haley said, getting up from his bed. _

"_It is a big deal. Haley, do you really think that after all this time, I can't tell when you're lying?" he asked. Haley remained silent. "You're totally freaked out by me and Peyton aren't you?" _

"_No, I'm totally fine with it," Haley said. Lucas looked at her doubtfully. He held her gaze for a minute but when she didn't look away, he shrugged. When Haley was lying, she looked away. So, she must be telling the truth, right? _

"_Are you sure?" Lucas asked. Haley nodded. _

"_More than sure. I'm happy for you… both," Haley said smiling. He chuckled at her and pulled her close to him. _

That had been three years ago and Lucas Scott was sure his then best friend was telling the truth. But he was wrong. Dead wrong. Haley was more freaked out by the fact that Lucas had started dating Peyton Sawyer than he realized. Six months into their relationship, Haley and Peyton had had a major disagreement. They had had a huge blow out in front of half the class.

Haley had claimed that while she was tutoring one of the less popular students in the ninth grade, Peyton and her even snottier best friend Brooke Davis had started tormenting the poor girl. Haley had left the table for a few minutes to get something from her desk in the actual tutoring centre. When she came back, the student was near tears and Peyton and Brooke were still bothering her.

Now to a normal person, this would not be a big deal. The average student would just walk away and pretend that nothing had happened or convince themselves that it would only be worse if they intervened or worse that the student being harassed actually deserved it. But Haley James was not that type of person.

Haley James was not the type of person who could just ignore someone else's pain. She could not ignore it when people were doing something wrong. She could not watch while another person suffered. She could not sit still when something could be done. She wore her heart on her sleeve and she had an overwhelming kindness that a lot of people took advantage of.

So, naturally, Haley had stood up for the student that Brooke and Peyton were harassing and started in on them, calling them despicable, heartless and uncaring. Peyton and Brooke were not thrilled to say the least. By insulting the two most popular girls in the school, Haley had just basically written her unpopular status in stone and the amazing thing was that she couldn't care less.

"_At least I stuck for her,"_ was all she said to Lucas when he questioned her actions. Lucas had begun to tell her that she had just put him in a very bad position with Peyton being his girlfriend. When she realized what he meant, she had been furious.

"_You're mad at _me_ because I defended someone who was being picked on?" Haley demanded incredulously. _

"_I'm not mad at you, Hales. I just think you got the wrong idea," Lucas said. Haley took a step back and looked at him in disbelief. _

"_Are you kidding me? Lucas, there was no misunderstanding what happened," Haley said. _

"_Well, it was none of your business," Lucas said. Haley's face twisted with rage. _

"_I cannot believe you are standing there defending what Peyton and Brooke did," Haley said. _

"_Well, Haley, what do you expect me to do? Peyton is my girlfriend and she is popular," Lucas said. _

"_So? That doesn't give her the right to go around, tormenting people. And your relationship is certainly not an excuse for you to turn a blind eye to something that is wrong," Haley retorted. _

"_Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Lucas asked. _

"_No, I don't. What they did was wrong. They did it because they could and they did it for the sole purpose of being mean," Haley said. Lucas shook his head. _

"_Haley, do you realize what you did when you stood up for Leah?" Lucas asked. _

"_What did _Ido_ that was so wrong?" Haley asked sarcastically. _

"_You put me in a position where I have to choose between my best friend and girlfriend. It's not fair to me," Lucas said. Haley started laughing at him. He looked at her in confusion. _

"_You're actually serious?" Haley asked. _

"_Yes, I'm serious. I care about Peyton, Hales. You really insulted her with what you said," Lucas said.  
_

"_Good," Haley commented.  
_

"_What?" he asked.  
_

"_You heard me," she said. _

"_I can't believe you," Lucas said.  
_

"_No, I can't believe _you_, Luke. You're so concerned about poor Peyton when the real victim is Leah. Do you know that Leah spent the rest of the day in the sick room because she was so upset? I stayed there with her for more than an hour, trying to talk her out of never coming back to school. That's how badly they upset her; to the point where she considered never coming back to school and she's in grade nine," Haley said. _

"_I'm sorry for what Leah went through…" Lucas began._

"_No, you're not," Haley began. "Be honest here, Luke. You don't give a damn about Leah. You're upset because your girlfriend was insulted and that the person who insulted her is me and that puts you in a difficult position." Her tone was mocking at the end of her sentence._

"_I do care, but you're right; I am upset about that," Lucas said. _

"_Well, at least I stuck up for her," Haley said firmly. Then she looked Lucas right in the eye. "Would you have?" Then she turned around and walked away from him. _

And that was the last conversation he had with her. When he thought about it, the downfall of their friendship started when Lucas had joined the basketball team at the beginning of that year. Before then he had been a lot like Haley. He didn't really stick his neck out for other students the way she did, but he still openly defied the social rules. Then he and his brother Nathan had gotten close and had been introduced to the popular world and all of his old rules had been thrown out the window. He even started picking on other students. Not nearly as bad as Nathan and the others but either way in Haley's book, it was still wrong.

Haley had expressed her disgust of his actions right away. When they were walking down the hallway and he insulted someone, she would immediately chew him out for it. In fact, one time she had walked away from him and refused to speak to him until he apologized to the person in public for what he said.

It was their difference in opinion that had led to the fact that they were no longer friends anymore. They had not spoken or hung out in nearly three years. He knew that she was still around, of course. He had heard of many times where once again Haley had defended someone or done something totally unheard of that Peyton or Brooke would bring it up. The most outrageous thing yet had happened about a year prior when Haley was working in his mother's café and he, Nathan and a few others had stopped by to get something to eat after a big game. He would never forget it and in his opinion, neither would anyone else.

"_Haley, could you be a dear and ask them what they want to eat?" one of the other waitresses asked. Haley nodded but then looked at the group of six or seven kids who had just entered the café and sat in the corner booth. She grimaced. It was Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott, Peyton Sawyer, Brooke Davis, Tim Smith, Jake Jagielski and Theresa Edwards. She shrugged and walked over to them. _

"_What can I get for you?" she asked. Peyton and Brooke snickered at her. Haley rolled her eyes and waited patiently. _

"_How about a few more minutes?" Theresa asked. She was not being mean, Haley knew that. _

"_Or a different waitress. Preferably one who can dress better," Brooke whispered to Peyton and they both snickered. Haley just smirked.  
_

"_Would you speak up? It's kind of hard to hear you insulting me when you whisper," Haley said. Brooke looked at her in surprise. _

"_Well, I was just wondering, who picks out your clothes?" Brooke asked. Apparently this was very amusing to the lot of them. _

"_Hey, don't bother her, Brooke. It's a step up from what things her sister wears," Peyton said. Haley stiffened. _

"_Just what is that supposed to mean?" Haley asked through gritted teeth. She looked at Lucas and he was actually smiling at what his girlfriend had said. _

"_I think it's pretty obvious what I mean," Peyton said. _

"_Your sister dresses like a slut," Theresa explained, cracking up at Haley's outraged expression. _

"_Dresses like one and is one. I hear she makes her way around," Brooke said. _

"_Just bring three burgers, three garden salads and six cokes," Lucas said. Haley nodded and walked away. A few minutes later, she returned with their food. They started in on Taylor again. Haley just ignored it. She knew they were trying to get a rise out of her and she was so not going to let them get the best of her. She placed their food in front of them and started to walk away._

"_Well, her sister is nothing compared to that brother of hers," Brooke said. _

"_You're so right. What a screw-up," Theresa said. Haley stiffened. Her brother Zach was two years older than her. He had been arrested a few times and was known around town as punk. _

"_That delinquent should stay locked behind bars where he belongs. I honestly never met someone who was born to be in prison," Peyton said. Haley turned around with the two pitchers of water in her hands; walked up to the table and poured them over Peyton and Brooke. Some of the water landed on the others as well. _

"_Oh, I'm so sorry! People are always telling me that I am a born klutz," Haley said, smirking in amusement as the girls all squealed. _

"_You idiot!" Theresa exclaimed. She ignored Theresa and looked at Brooke and Peyton.  
_

"_You can say whatever the hell you want about me but you cross the line when you insult my family," Haley said. Then she looked at Lucas' outraged face. "Or anyone else for that matter." _

"_You're so dead," Brooke warned. Haley just laughed. _

"_Look into my eyes," Haley said, "Do I look scared?" _

Lucas walked into class and sat down in between Nathan and Peyton. "Hey, baby," Peyton said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her. Coach Whitey Durham entered the classroom with a grim look on his face. Lucas dismissed it, chalking it up to the fact that he had probably had a bad morning.

"Coach, is something wrong?" Nathan asked. Whitey looked at them and frowned. He nodded.

"Well, what is it?" Brooke asked from behind Lucas.

"You'll hear about it over the announcements," Whitey assured them.

"Is it really that bad?" Peyton asked. The announcements came on and people stood for the National Anthem and then when they sat down the principal's voice came over the PA.

"It saddens me to tell everyone this but there was an accident in front of the school a half an hour ago. While crossing the sidewalk, Haley James was hit by a car and dragged for about half a block," the principal announced. A shunned silence fell upon the whole class.

Nathan knew something was wrong when he had driven to school that morning. He had seen a bunch of police cruisers about half a block away from the school. He could tell there had been a victim as he had seen someone on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.

"She is not dead but still remains in critical conditions. The extent of her injuries is unknown at this time. We ask everyone to keep the James family in their thoughts. People are welcome to stop by the hospital to stop by and pay the family a visit," the principal finished. Nathan's eyes immediately darted to his brother. Lucas looked shocked.

"Did they catch the guy?" Nathan asked for his brother. Whitey shook his head.

"Hit and run," Whitey replied.


	2. Life Sentence

**Life Sentence **(Chapter 2)

Five days later…

Lucas paced around outside his locker trying to think of something other than the fact that his former best friend was lying in a hospital bed. It wasn't really that that was bothering him. It was more of the fact that he didn't know what was going on. He had no idea if Haley was dead, if she was in a coma or if she was simply in the hospital awaiting results to tests, fully conscious, etc. It was agonizing not knowing. "So, why don't you just go and visit her?" Peyton asked, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's melodrama. Lucas looked up at her and shook his head.

"Visit her? That would require going to the hospital, talking to her family and actually setting foot in the same room as her," Lucas said. Brooke chuckled.

"That's generally what happens when you visit someone in the hospital," Brooke said. Lucas shook his head.

"I can't do that," he said.

"Mind telling us why?" Theresa asked, coming up to the group with Nathan behind her. Nathan put his arm on her shoulder and patted her. They weren't dating, but they were friends. Not friends who slept together, just friends.

"Because it's Haley," Lucas said, looking at her as if she were the dumbest person alive.

"Oh, right. It's Haley. As in the girl who was your best friend for like eight years and now that she's been hit by a car, possibly hanging on by a thread, you don't have the stuffing to go and visit her when she needs you," Theresa said sarcastically.

"It's not that easy. Haley and I haven't spoken in three years. How big of a jackass would I be if I just showed up at the hospital being the supportive friend after being MIA for so long?" Lucas asked.

"You would be someone who cares about her," Peyton said. Lucas shook his head.

"I wouldn't be able to face her," Lucas said.

"Lucas, it was more than a year ago. I'm sure she's past it by now," Brooke said.

"You guys don't know Haley that well," Lucas said.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"I mean that she can hold a grudge like no one else," Lucas said.

"So you're not going to visit her?" Theresa asked. Lucas shook his head.

"I can't," he said.

"Now that is being a jackass," Nathan said. Lucas sighed.

"Will you come with me?" he asked.

"I'll come with you," Peyton said. Brooke and Theresa both smiled showing their support. Lucas looked at Nathan.

"Sure," Nathan gave in.

"Thanks, Nate," Lucas said. Peyton looked at him in bewilderment and he kissed her lightly. "Thanks, Pey." Peyton smiled.

"It's no problem," Peyton said.

"_I don't know if this is such a good idea, Luke," 14-year-old Haley James said. Lucas sighed. It was the beginning of the year and it was time for student elections. Their mutual friend Jake Jagielski had been nominated for Grade 8Class President and Jake had decided to accept and run. He and Luke were trying to convince Haley to be his running mate because she was well liked, kind and smart. _

"_Why not?" Lucas asked. "You love helping out the school." _

"_Yeah but student government is a huge leap, don't you think? I don't need to put myself out there for more public scrutiny," Haley said. _

"_Oh, come on, Hales. You are perfect for the job. You're sweet, funny, you don't take anything from anyone and you have the whole 'girl-next-door' thing working for you. Jake needs you. The eighth grade needs you. Don't sell yourself short; you're a born leader," Lucas said. Haley looked at him doubtfully. The other running team, Brooke Davis and Mouth McFadden had overheard and Brooke came over and laughed. _

"_More like born loser," Brooke started. Haley narrowed her eyes. "Do you honestly think that you and the mysterious jock have any chance running against me and Mouth? Get real. You throw out the trash, you don't vote it in." _

"_Back off, Brooke," Haley said. _

"_Does the truth hurt? But if you want to embarrass yourself and your entire family even more than nature intended then by all means, go right ahead. What's one more disappointment in a family full of screw-ups?" Brooke demanded._

"_My family is not full of screw-ups," Haley said. _

"_Your dad is an ex-con, your brother is a felon, your sister is a slut, your mother is dead and your other brother is missing in action," Brooke said. Haley bit her lip at the mention of her eldest brother, Anthony who had joined the Marines and gone over to Iraq. His platoon had gone into enemy territory and now her brother was missing and had been for three months. _

"_That is exactly why she will win," Lucas said. Brooke looked at him in amusement and disbelief. "She doesn't have such a shallow outlook like you do." _

Lucas walked into the hospital followed by Nathan, Peyton, Brooke and Theresa. He walked up to the second floor and sighed when he saw Jimmy James, Taylor James, Zach James and Anthony James waiting outside Haley's hospital room. Anthony had just returned to Tree Hill after being wounded in Iraq.

"Lucas?" Taylor James said. They all turned around and smirked at him.

"We were hoping you would come by," Jimmy James said, shaking his hand as they approached the family.

"I would have come sooner but I just found out while I was in school," Lucas said.

"Are you friends of Haley's?" Anthony asked, looking at the rest of the group. Nathan could hear Brooke's tiny scoff.

"This is my brother, Nathan, my girlfriend, Peyton and those two are Brooke and Theresa," Lucas said. They all stepped forward and shook their hands.

"How is she?" Lucas asked.

"She's stable, out of the woods, but she did sustain an injury," Taylor explained.

"Is she awake?" Nathan asked, suddenly overcome with curiosity. He wondered what kind of injury Haley had sustained.

"No. She's still in a coma," Zach replied.

"It's gotten pretty quiet," Taylor commented, trying to lighten the mood. Lucas chuckled. That was funny. When you first met Haley, she would come off as shy and quiet. But when you got to know her, there was no shutting her up.

"You can go ahead and see her," Jimmy said. Lucas nodded and looked to Nathan who sighed and nodded. The two Scotts walked into the hospital room.

Nathan followed Lucas into Haley's room. There were a bunch of baskets of flowers and bouquets around the room. "Hales?" Lucas asked. The body in the bed was small. Nathan didn't really know Haley James that well. He had nothing against her. But he never hung out with her. He thought she was a good person.

Taylor followed them in. There were cuts and bruises running up and down her arms. She walked over to her sister's bed, brushing past Nathan who stood at the foot of her bed, staring down at her. "Haley, sweetie. Wake up," she said. There was no response from Haley besides a slight jump in her blood pressure. Lucas looked at Taylor. "That's happened quite a bit. The doctor says that it's a good sign."

"She could wake up at any moment?" Lucas asked. Taylor nodded.

"That's good," Nathan said, trying to be helpful and positive but it was still a bad situation. He could tell his brother appreciated his effort.

"Yeah, it is. Hopefully, Hales will decide to grace us with her presence soon," Taylor said.

Four hours later…

Haley opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She was in the hospital. She could tell right away. The smell of medicine and cafeteria food was all around her. She froze when she saw Nathan Scott sitting in her room. At first, she thought she was hallucinating. So she closed her eyes for a second, convinced that when she opened them, he would not be there anymore. She opened them and he was still there. She made a small choking sound as she tried to speak and Nathan stirred. He opened his eyes and smirked at her. "Well, look who's finally awake," he said. Haley looked at the sink. "Water?" he asked. Haley nodded. He came back a few seconds later with a cup of water. Haley took the cup from him gently, but he still held it in her hands as she tipped the cup downward and took a few sips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Lucas," Nathan replied. Now she was really confused.

"What about him?" Haley asked.

"I came here to for Lucas. He went down to the cafeteria," Nathan said. Haley nodded.

"Why's he here? What happened?" Haley asked. Nathan started to explain what had happened and Haley had panicked for some reason and started pushing the call button. Apparently, her doctor had been near the nursing station and came rushing into the room.

"Miss James, you're awake!" he exclaimed. Her family came rushing in as well.

"Why can't I move my legs?" Haley asked. They all sighed and looked down at the ground. The doctor grimaced. Nathan looked down as he realized what was wrong.

"I'm afraid you're paralysed from the waist down," the doctor said. He started to explain that her spinal cord had been severed in the accident. Then a thought came to Haley's mind.

"What about the driver of the car? Are they ok?" Haley asked.

"Presumably," her father replied. Relief washed over her and then she realized that that didn't really answer her question.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You were involved in a hit-and-run," Nathan reminded her. _So, the driver is fine_, Haley thought to herself and she was thankful for that. Then she realized the injustice.

"Wait a second. Are you telling me that he got off scot-free?" Haley asked.

"I'm afraid so. The police have been unlucky in their search," the doctor said. Haley chuckled bitterly.

"Well, this is hardly fair. He's the one who was speeding. He's the one who caused the accident. Yet he walks away clean and free and I'm the one being served with a life sentence?" Haley exclaimed.


	3. Get Well Soon

**Get Well Soon** (Chapter 3)

Three weeks later…

Haley woke up and looked around her hospital room. After three weeks, she was pretty much used to her new life. The life that had her in therapy. Apparently, she had to talk about what it meant to her not to have legs for a few days. She was glad that that was over now, though. She remembered her first session.

"So how are you feeling today?" Dr. Montgomery, a well-distinguished psychotherapist in North Carolina, asked her one Monday morning. Haley just chuckled at the absurdity of the question.

"_I just lost my legs. How would you feel?" Haley asked. The doctor smirked at her response and stayed silent for a minute._

"_I think I'd be pretty angry, spending a lot of time wondering 'why this had to happen to me', and whether or not I'll be able to adjust to life without my legs especially after I've had them for so long," he replied. Haley leaned forward in her wheelchair. _

"_Do you get paid extra for these kinds of insights?" Haley asked. _

"_Haley, you're going to have to talk about this," her doctor said. Haley shrugged._

"_Why?" she asked. _

"_Excuse me?" Dr. Montgomery asked. _

"_Well, what's the point in talking about it? A lot of people suffer from worse conditions and they don't necessarily have to talk about it with a therapist. Talking about it won't change anything. It won't give me back the use of my legs. So why bother?" Haley explained. _

"_Because you're going through a difficult time. You're going to experience a lot of changes and your life will never be the same again. A lot of people don't really understand it and so it helps to talk to someone who does," her doctor replied. Haley observed the doctor for a minute. _

"_Do you have a disease?" Haley asked. The doctor shook his head. "Do you have a disability of any kind?" Again, he shook his head. _

"_What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. _

"_Well, it seems to me that if I were to talk to someone, it would be realistic for this person to know what I'm going through because they have experienced it or something like it," Haley said. _

"_So?" he asked.  
_

"_You haven't," Haley replied. _

"_So?" he asked again. Haley rolled her eyes at him._

"_So what makes you think you're qualified to help me through this? You have no idea what its like," Haley asked. He smiled.  
_

"_You're certainly one of a kind. Not one of my patients has ever asked me that," he replied. _

"_You still haven't answered my question," Haley reminded him. _

"_I'm the therapist. It's my job to ask questions and it's yours to answer them. Not the other way around," Dr. Montgomery said. Haley shook her head in annoyance. She took the break off of her wheelchair and began to wheel out of his office. She made it out of it and was halfway down the hall before he came after her. "Where do you think you're going?" Haley just wheeled herself around and folded her arms across her chest. _

"_If you think I'm going to open up and share my feelings with someone who isn't willing to do the same, you're wrong," Haley said. She left it at that, turned herself around and wheeled back to her room in the ICU. _

She had loved to give Dr. Montgomery a hard time. Something about him pissed her off. He reminded her of Lucas. He pretended to be there for everyone, wanting to help, but when you turned things around on him, he shrank back and hid behind circumstances.

But eventually she had started talking to him after he realized that she wasn't trying to change the subject. She wasn't running away from the fact that she had to talk about what she was going through, she just refused to be the only one sharing her. It was ridiculous to think that you could open up to someone without trusting them and there's no way Haley trusted someone until she got to know them or knew that they were willing to share as well.

Then she had started "physical therapy", which was her basically learning to use the wheelchair. They taught her how to transfer from the wheelchair to the bed as well as from the bed to the wheelchair among other things. The most difficult thing for Haley was using ramps in the wheelchair. One time, she had misjudged the steepness of a ramp at the hospital and rested at the top, not realizing that she wasn't completely off of it. Someone had surprised her and Haley had jumped, sending her flying backwards down the ramp. There was a knock on the door and Haley was jolted out of her thoughts as Nathan Scott walked into her hospital room.

"Hey," he said. Haley did not show any reaction to him at all. Had their eyes not locked, Nathan would've guessed that she hadn't heard him. Haley just took the breaks off of her wheelchair and turned herself away from the window.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I brought you some homework," he said. Haley looked at him blankly. "Apparently we're in a few of the same classes." Haley nodded, never really paying attention to it herself. She was only vaguely aware that Nathan was in three of her classes. He walked further into the room and put the work down on her food tray. He looked at her questioningly. Haley wheeled closer to the bed, put the brakes on and attempted to lift herself up. She failed and landed back in the wheelchair. She cursed under her breath. Nathan smirked to himself. Most people thought Haley didn't even know one curse word.

"Do you need help?" he asked, coming over her.

"No! I can do it myself," she snapped. He nodded and stepped back. Haley propped herself up using the handlebars of the wheelchair for support and grabbed a hold of one of the bars on the bed and landed on the bed with her face practically smothered by the sheets. She groaned in frustration. "I could use some help now, please." Nathan smiled to himself and walked over. He grabbed her waist and held her legs, lifted her up, turned her around and placed her gently on the bed.

Once she was on the bed, Haley took over. She pulled back some covers and positioned her legs flat on the bed. She then moved the bed up so she was in a sitting position and smiled to herself. "What?" he asked.

Haley had never really paid much attention to the school social rules. She would talk to anyone, not caring what their status was and she would do so pretty much openly. "That was kind of embarrassing. Only something like that would happen to me," she said, laughing at herself.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, shrugging it off. Haley smiled.

"Thanks," she replied. She held his gaze for a minute and then looked at the work before her. She opened the envelope curiously and pulled a card. On the front there was a yellow bird that looked like Tweety from "The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" and it was perched on a fern. Then she noticed the top of the card. "Get Well Soon" was spelled out in fancy navy blue cursive writing. She opened it up and there was a small poem written on the inside:

It's tough when things suddenly change People begin to feel like no one is there for them Or that no one cares We want you to know that you don't need to feel that way You have people who care for you People who are thinking about you And hoping that you're all right So hurry back to us Get Well Soon 

Underneath the poem were signatures. Some of the names Haley recognized. Some she had never heard before. She didn't really know what the goal of sending this card was. She guessed it was their attempt at letting her know that her world was not over or that she was not forgotten in her absence. But it was those three words that had ignited a fury in her she didn't even know was there.

She shook her head in anger and shoved the card back in the envelope and tossed it over to the garbage missing it by a long shot. She had never really had good aim. Nathan looked at her in surprise. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she buried her head in her hands. "What's wrong?" he asked, clearly not understanding.

"Get well soon," she replied. He looked at her in confusion.

"There something wrong with people wishing that you will recover?" he asked. For the first time, his jackass side had reared its ugly head. Haley narrowed her eyes.

"I'm never going to recover from this," she spat, gesturing at her legs.

"That's not what anyone meant," he said. He went over and picked it up and put it on her tray again.

"Well, that's how it sounds," she said.

"At least you got a card," he offered, trying to bring out the good. Bad idea.

"Should I be grateful?" she asked sarcastically.

"It wouldn't be uncalled for," he replied. Haley lifted the card up and looked at the signatures.

"Peyton Sawyer, Brooke Davis, Theresa Edwards, Nathan Scott, Lucas Scott, Tim Smith, and Jake Jagielski," she said. Then she looked at him. "Before you guys looked at me like I was some sort of freak. You mocked me because I didn't fit into your little world. Now that I'm a cripple, you're being nice. And yet you wonder why I'm not grateful."

"Whatever," he said, shaking his head in annoyance. Haley scoffed.

"Exactly," she replied, turning away from him and looking at the rest of her work. Nathan was mad now. He had come out of his way and brought her homework to her and helped her onto her bed and all he got in return was a snarky remark and his good deed thrown back in his face. He didn't find Haley to be as kind as everyone said she was. He just saw her as every other unpopular student: jealous and bitter. Well, he certainly was not going to let Haley make him feel bad. He walked towards the door and then turned back to her.

"Hey, Haley?" he asked. Haley looked up at him curiously. The anger from before had washed away.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking at him apologetically. She realized she was wrong to yell at him and was about to apologize. He smiled at her wickedly.

"Get well soon," he spat in arrogance. He smirked and chuckled on his way out the door. Haley's regret was instantly replaced with anger and a muscle in her cheek twitched.

"Go to hell," she yelled after him.


	4. Back to School

**Back to School **(Chapter 4)

Nathan Scott walked up to his friends and was curious when they were all huddled around someone's locker. When he came closer, he realized Lucas was writing something on locker-sized piece of paper that had been taped onto the locker door. Then he looked up and saw "Welcome Back, Haley" painted in fancy black handwriting that he immediately recognized as Peyton's. "So what are you doing?" Nathan asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Writing a welcome back to Haley," Lucas said as he continued writing.

"Why not just tell her that when you see her?" Nathan asked.

"Because I'm not sure that I will," Lucas said.

"You're going to avoid your friend on her first day back after being away for two months?" Jake asked and looking at Lucas for confirmation. He didn't wait for it. "That's cold, Luke."

"I'm not sure she'll want to see me," Lucas said defensively.

"Well, maybe you should leave that up to her," Nathan said almost sarcastically. In all honestly, he didn't really care.

"Maybe I will," Lucas said. Jake nodded in approval.

"Just out of curiosity, why do you think Haley won't want to see you?" Peyton asked.

"What happened three years ago comes to mind," Lucas suggested. Peyton raised her eyebrows expectantly. "When I chose your side over hers." Peyton and Brooke both scoffed.

"She stuck her nose where it didn't belong. You're my boyfriend so of course you're going to choose my side. What did she expect?" Peyton said, shrugging it off.

"And I didn't go visit her while she was in rehab…" he started but trailed off. Peyton looked at him in confusion.

"Rehab? Tutor girl wasn't on drugs," Brooke said.

"Not that kind of rehab," Nathan remarked.

"What kind of rehab was she in?" Peyton asked. Lucas looked at Nathan who just looked down. "Is there something that you haven't told me?" She faced Lucas.

"You'll see for yourself," Nathan said as he spotted a wheelchair in the doorway of the front entrance.

People gasped as Haley James wheeled herself down the hallway. Outside of the hospital, her family, Lucas and Nathan, no one really knew what had happened to Haley. They had no idea that she was paralysed and as she reached her locker a few people looked away from her. She saw the paper with "Welcome Back, Haley" sprawled on it and sighed. The last thing she needed to be faced with were people's false words of sympathy.

Seeing the numerous people around her locker did two things: it touched her and pissed her off. Half of the people in the school thought she was a nerd and treated her as such or just ignored her completely. Others were nice to her simply because they needed her help in school. None of them really cared about her and the one person who had been her friend once upon a time was the last person she wanted to see. But sadly, Lucas was there. "Hey, Hales. Welcome back," he said. Haley scoffed.

"Whatever," she spat and wheeled away heading towards the tutoring centre. A few minutes later the door opened and Lucas walked in.

"Haley," he said.

"What do you want?" Haley asked.

"I wanted to see how you were," he said.

"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine," Haley said gesturing to her easiness when dealing with the wheelchair.

"Of course you are. But, um, I just wanted you to know that if you need anything, I'm here for you," Lucas said.

"I'll muddle through. And even if I couldn't, you would be the last person I would come to for help. Wait. That's not true. Your brother would be the last person I would come to for help. You wouldn't even make the list," Haley said.

"Haley," he started.

"Save it, Lucas because I'm really not interested in hearing whatever you have to say. We were best friends for eight years and the first time your girlfriend of six _months_ and I have an argument, you turn your back on me," Haley said.

"That's not…" Lucas said.

"Don't even try to deny it because you know it's the truth. And you know what? It's fine by me. But the thing that really pisses me off is that you have the nerve to come up to me like nothing happened," Haley said.

"Haley, you were hurt. I wanted to be there for you," he offered.

"You feel sorry for me because I'm in a wheelchair. I find it amusing that given how close we used to be, it takes pity to finally bring you around," Haley said.

"It's not pity," he said. He knew how much she hated it.

"But isn't it?" Haley retorted. He sighed. Lucas knew it was true. He did feel sorry for her. It was kind of hard not to, though, in his defence. He sighed and looked at her for a minute. He broke away from their staring contest.

"Fine. If this is the way you want things to be, then this is how they'll be," he said, turning around and walking out the door. But before he left he turned around and looked at her for a minute.

"So, we left off yesterday talking about how…" the English teacher said. Haley was only really half paying attention. The truth was that she was nearly a year ahead of everyone in the class. She had already read the book before her accident and had received all of the questions to each chapter when Nathan had dropped off some of her homework at the hospital. The bell rang signalling the end of the class and the teacher spouted out the homework. Haley instinctively wrote it down and smirked when she realized that she had already done those questions.

She wheeled all the way to the tutoring centre, ignoring the looks on people's faces. She moved a chair away from the table and sent it flying across the room and chuckled to herself when it tipped over. Sometimes she forgot she had a lot of upper body strength now. Then the door opened and Nathan Scott walked in. Haley rolled her eyes. "Are you lost?" she asked. He shook his head. He walked over to her and handed her a piece of paper. Haley looked over it and then looked at him incredulously. "Is this a joke?"

"I wish. Coach says that with my grades, I'm pretty close to being ineligible to play basketball for the rest of the team so he signed me up for a tutor without my knowledge and then told my parents and the principal. So, now I have to have a tutor and apparently, you're my tutor," he said, sitting down in one of the remaining three chairs at the circular table.

"Right. I don't think so," Haley said, laughing and putting the paper down on the table, pushing it back to him. Nathan looked at her in disbelief.

"You're actually refusing to tutor me?" he asked.

"Looks that way," Haley said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I'm not going to be ordered to tutor someone," Haley said stubbornly.

"You do realize that my father is the mayor right? The school will force you to tutor me or you'll be suspended," Nathan said. Haley rolled her eyes and wheeled out of the tutoring centre.

"You're pretty fast in that thing, you know?" Nathan said, catching up to her in the middle of a crowded hallway.

"And you're pretty slow. I left to get away from you," Haley said. He grabbed the back of her wheelchair to stop her from leaving. He was out of breath and walked around to the other side. "That was low."

"Well, you were going to leave. I needed to make you stay to listen to what I have to say." he started.

"I have no interest in hearing one of your arrogant speeches dictating to me what I can and cannot do. Here's a little piece of advice: If you want my help, you might want to try asking for it," Haley spat rather loudly. Nathan sighed.

"_Nathan, this is unacceptable. If you get kicked off the team, it will ruin all of our hard work," Dan Scott told Nathan a few days earlier. _

"_Can't you just talk to the principal?" Nathan asked. _

"_I'm not going to cut corners for you because you're lazy, Nathan. Now, we both know that you're smart but you have a lot of trouble focusing. Now, I personally don't think that you need a tutor but your mother does. And with it being so late in the semester, it might not be a bad idea to have some nerd help you," Dan Scott said. _

"_So I have to do this?" Nathan asked. _

"_Yes, you do," Deb Scott said, coming into the living room.  
_

"_Deb, I told you that I was handling this," Dan said. _

"_And I told you that Nathan needs help in school. Nate, you're failing miserably," Deb said. _

"_Gee, thanks for the reminder, mom," Nathan spat angrily. _

"_Watch it," Dan warned. "Now you get your grades up to appease Whitey and the principal and we'll start training earlier in the morning to make up for the missed time in the afternoon." _

Nathan sighed as he remembered his father's words. He was sick of all the pushing and harping. He hated his father for trying to relive his glory days through him but at the same time, he wanted to succeed because the mere thought of disappointing Dan terrified Nathan. So he looked at the fury in Haley James' eyes and sighed. "Please. I need your help," he said desperately. Something changed in her eyes.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" she asked, turning around and wheeling back into the tutoring centre. Nathan followed and they began their first session.


	5. Politically Incorrect

A/N: I've been working on this chapter for a few days and yesterday I just typed for a long time and ended up with six pages. A lot of Naley interaction. Not romance but they open up with each other. There's also a run-in with Evil Dan in it (after the last few episodes of OTH, I've taken to calling him that). Leave some words. Enjoy )

**Politically (In)Correct **(Chapter 5)

3 weeks later…

"Can I ask you a question?" Nathan asked. Haley shrugged. They were in the tutoring centre and Haley was helping him with some math homework.

"Sure," she said, reaching behind her and grabbing another book out of the bag behind her.

"Actually it's more of a request. Are you busy tonight?" he asked.

"Why?" she asked caught off guard by the question.

"You know my father, right?" he asked.

"I know who he is, yes," Haley replied.

"So you must know that he's a very important public figure, being the mayor and all. He has an example to set. Actually, my whole family does and one of those things is…" Nathan started to explain but his sentence trailed off.

"Your family wants to meet me," Haley finished. Nathan sighed.

"Pretty much. But my mom is impressed with how well I'm doing but she still doesn't think its enough help. She was wondering if you were willing to do weekend sessions," Nathan said.

"I've never really done weekend sessions. It's usually just at school or after school," Haley replied.

"Well, could you consider it? It's really important to my parents that I do well," Nathan said. Haley stopped to think for a second.

"When do you want to start?" Haley asked. Nathan looked at her in surprise.

"Saturday?" he asked. Haley shook her head. He frowned.

"I have therapy on Saturday," she replied. He looked at her in confusion. He knew that she had to talk to a shrink when the accident first happened. She had told him that. "More rehabilitation."

"Oh, sure. What about Sunday?" he asked. Haley nodded.

On Sunday afternoon, a van pulled into the Scott driveway. There was whirring of machinery and Nathan walked over to the kitchen window and saw Haley's brother, Anthony James. The sliding door to the van was open and Anthony had reached in and pulled out Haley's wheelchair. Nathan walked out the door and over to the van just in time to see Haley seated in the passenger seat right next to the sliding door.

Haley unlocked her seatbelt and reached down to undo a strap that was tied around her legs. "I still say that you don't need that thing around your legs. You can sit in a van, Hales," Anthony said as he unfolded the wheelchair and put the breaks on it. Haley made a face at her brother and smiled.

"Well, I do. I want to make sure that when someone opens the door, I don't fall out again. Call it insurance," Haley said. Anthony chuckled.

"You're the one who didn't put her seatbelt on properly. And besides, Zach apologized for that," he said, stepping inside the van, putting his arms around his sister and carefully carried her out of the van and put her in her chair. He pulled her backpack and swung it onto her handlebars.

"Uh, Anthony," Haley said. Anthony looked at his sister.

"What?" he asked.

"There's no ramp. You're going to have to help me inside," Haley said. Anthony turned to Nathan.

"Can you give us a hand?" Anthony asked. Nathan nodded. "I'll take the chair and you take her." Nathan walked over and Haley lifted her arms up, so he could lift her up. Once he had her out of the chair, Haley put her arms down and swung one on his shoulder.

"Thanks," she whispered softly.

"No problem," he said, as he walked up his front steps, onto the porch and to the front door. He opened it and walked in, still holding Haley. Then his mother walked into the hallway and gasped.

"Nathan, what on earth are you doing? Who is this girl?" Deb Scott asked, putting her hands on her hips in disappointment. Nathan smiled at his mom awkwardly. He could only imagine what she was probably thinking.

"Hi, mom. This is my tutor, Haley James," Nathan said.

"Hi, Mrs. Scott," Haley said. Deb was speechless.

"Do all of the students you tutor hold you, Miss James?" Deb said. Then, Anthony came in with the wheelchair. Deb looked at it curiously and watched as the young man unfolded it and then Nathan walked over and placed Haley in it.

"Only when their houses aren't wheelchair accessible," Haley replied. Deb's cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Deb said quickly. Haley laughed and shook her head.

"It's ok," Haley replied.

"Bye, sis. Give me a call when you're ready to leave," Anthony said, leaning down and hugging his sister. Haley nodded and then followed Deb and Nathan into the kitchen when Anthony left.

"It's not rocket science, but it's not exactly the ABC's either. You don't need to apologize because you don't understand it," Haley said. Nathan cracked a smile. Deb watched them as she pretended to put groceries away.

"You're a good tutor," Nathan said in appreciation. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Well, thanks but I don't need you to tell me what I already know. I'm a good tutor," Haley said. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I never would have pictured you as the arrogant type," Nathan said.

"It's not arrogance," Haley said matter-of-factly. There was not a hint of offence in her voice.

"It certainly sounds like it," Nathan argued.

"I never once said that I was the best. I said that I was good. There's a difference," Haley retorted.

"Sorry," Nathan said. Haley glared at him and he burst out laughing. "Can you run through it again?"

"Of course. 'B' squared plus 'C' squared equals 'A' squared," Haley repeated the formula. Nathan wrote it down and followed the steps.

"Twenty-three squared?" Nathan asked, looking over at her for confirmation.

"Equals?" Haley asked. Nathan smiled. He typed it into his calculator.

"Five hundred twenty nine," he replied. Haley nodded. Nathan sighed with relief and Deb smiled.

"That's all the math homework for the entire weekend done. Now English," Haley said. Nathan nodded. "So this interview has to be done in pairs and what a coincidence; we're partners."

"Not really. I kind of asked the teacher to pair us together so it would be easier," Nathan said.

"I knew that. I was being sarcastic," Haley said.

"Oh," he said.

"All righty. First question is 'what's your full name?'" Haley asked.

"Nathan Daniel Scott," he replied shrugging.

"After your dad?" Haley asked. He nodded. "Haley Anne James."

"Anne?" he repeated.

"Anne is a traditional middle name in my family. The daughters always have some form of Anne in their middle name. Taylor's middle name is Roxanne," she explained. He nodded.

"What can you say about your family?" Nathan asked.

"I think people in town have a lot more interesting things to say about them than I do," she commented.

"Just say something. I really don't think you want me to include that garbage in the essay," Nathan said. Haley shook her head.

"I have two brothers; Zach and Anthony and a sister named Taylor. All older. I guess, um, my brother Zach has made a few mistakes in his life but he's pretty good at getting through tough times. Anthony is a corporal in the army. He fought in Iraq for more than a year but his leg was damaged out there so he can't fight anymore. He has a desk job now. Taylor is the wild child of the family. She could be the poster child for that song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun'," Haley said. Nathan laughed.

"Jimmy James is my dad. Funny thing: when I was little, I used to tease him because he had the same first and last name. So I would introduce him to people as 'James'," she continued.

"What about your mom?" he asked. Haley went silent.

"My mom's dead," she replied. He looked at her for more detail but the look in her eyes practically screamed that she wasn't going to tell him anything about her mother's death.

"Well, I guess it's my turn. My dad's the mayor and my mom's a judge. I am busted constantly," Nathan said. Haley chuckled. "I have a brother named Lucas. He's actually my half brother, the product of one of my dad's past relationships, but I don't really consider him half."

"That's so sweet," Haley teased.

"Shut up," Nathan said. Haley just laughed and then looked down at her sheet.

"What would you say has been your most traumatic experience?" she asked. Nathan sighed and thought for a minute.

"When I was eight, I fell through thin ice while ice fishing. When I hit the water, it felt like a million knives were being stabbed into me all at once. I almost died and if it hadn't been for my uncle diving in after me, I would've," he said. Haley nodded. "Your turn."

"The accident," Haley said. He looked at her, urging her to go on. "I was hit out of nowhere. I felt this huge bang on my back and I got stuck, if you can believe that, onto a part of the car and I was dragged for about a block. Like the second my head hit the pavement when the car sped off, I was out cold. I don't remember most of being dragged. I think the most traumatic thing about it was waking up a few days later in the hospital and not being able to move my legs. I did what I always did when I moved my legs, only that time, nothing happened and that feeling is probably the equivalent of being hit with ice water for me." Nathan was shocked that she had just opened up like that. Sure, they had gotten close in the past few weeks but he didn't think she trusted him that much.

"Wow," he said.

"Okay. Now it's time for secret sharing. You go first," Haley said.

"Last year, I took steroids," he said. Her eyes widened slightly.

"For basketball?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. I collapsed in practice and was rushed to the ER," he said.

"Did the school find out?" she asked.

"No. At least the administration didn't. But that's not the point. I've never been more scared than I was when I fell on the floor," he said. Haley nodded in understanding. "Now tell me a secret."

"All right. Um, I really only have one," Haley said.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it's a big one," Haley replied.

"Let's hear it," he said.

"My dad is not really my dad. So my siblings are really my half siblings. My mom had an affair and got pregnant with me," Haley said.

"Where is your real dad?" he asked.

"In jail," Haley replied. He looked at her in shock.

"What for?" he asked. Haley looked around and noticed his parents were still in the room.

"I'll tell you another time," she said. He nodded.

"Do you want to start history or science now?" He rolled his eyes.

"How about we take a break?" he suggested with a wink.

"Oh," Haley said. Deb watched her as she smiled and shook her head. "No."

"Come on. We've been working for two straight hours. We did math and I even let you criticize my performance at yesterday's game," Nathan said. Haley cracked up. Her brothers had both been basketball players so she knew quite a bit about the sport.

"Well, your jump shot at the end there did look like crap," Haley said.

"I'd like to see you do one," Dan said. Deb was speechless and gritted her teeth in embarrassment. Nathan sighed.

"Dad," Nathan said. Haley just laughed it off.

"Well, as soon as they make a wheelchair with jumping capability, I will," Haley said. She grabbed her backpack from the chair beside her and put her math textbook away and grabbed her science binder not realizing that they were all staring at her. Then she looked up at them. "What?"

"A wheelchair with jumping capability?" he repeated in amusement. Haley nodded.

"Hey, with the way technological developments are going, I could be jumping in two years," Haley said. Nathan burst out laughing.

"Nathan, can I talk to you for a minute?" Dan asked. Nathan was still laughing but nodded to his father. He got up and followed him into the hallway. Deb went with them. Haley rolled her eyes and flipped her binder to the homework and started working on it.

"Is something wrong?" Nathan asked.

"Why is that girl your tutor?" Dan asked.

"She's the one they assigned me to. What's the big deal?" he replied.

"They couldn't have picked one that isn't a freak," Dan said.

"Haley's paralysed. She's not a freak, Dad," Nathan said.

"Well, she's not normal either," Dan said.

"Who is these days?" Nathan argued.

"Don't take that tone with me. This is important. Everything in your life is a reflection upon me. You're my son," Dan said. Nathan scoffed.

"Your son. So everything's about you, is it?" Nathan asked.

"Nathan, calm down. Your father is just concerned," Deb said.

"So you agree with him?" Nathan asked. His mom bit her lip.

"I'm going to call the principal and ask him to put you with someone else," Dan said.

"Don't bother," Nathan said.

"Excuse me?" Dan asked.

"You heard me. Haley's the best tutor in the school. I don't want a new one, Dad," Nathan said as he headed back into the kitchen. Haley looked up at him in confusion.

"Nathan, you know how I feel about her," Dan said.

"How you feel about me?" Haley repeated. Dan sighed as he glared at Nathan.

"No offence, Ms. James. I'm sure you're a nice girl but I would prefer my son's tutor to be, well, normal," Dan said. Haley actually scoffed.

"Some taken. And if you have a problem with me, that's too bad. The principal wanted the best tutor for your son and apparently, that's me. And I run the tutoring program at our school. We don't reassign because a student's father is a bigot," Haley said in anger. Nathan couldn't believe it. No one ever talked to his father like that much less in his own house.

"You certainly have a mouth on you, don't you?" Dan commented.

"It's hard not to get defensive when you're being attacked," Haley retorted. She took out her cell phone and called Anthony to come and pick her up. A few minutes later, Haley was sitting in her wheelchair on the driveway of the Scott house. Nathan stood out there with her.

"I'm so sorry," he said. Haley chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. I'm kind of used to people like your dad," Haley said.

"It was still embarrassing. My dad was out of line. He can be a jerk sometimes," Nathan said. Haley nodded.

"It's ok, Nathan. I just think that from now on, weekend sessions take place at my house," Haley said. Nathan laughed and nodded in agreement.


	6. It's Hard to Find Good Help

**It's Hard to Find Good Help **(Chapter 6)

"Haley, come on," Lucas said, following Haley into the tutoring centre three weeks later. Haley didn't even glance at him as she wheeled behind the desk. She reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a notebook.

"You know what, Luke? Whatever you have to say, I'm not interested in hearing," Haley said.

"You're a tutor. Brooke needs a tutor. I don't see what the problem is," Lucas said. She looked up and fixed him with a glare that could melt ice.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Haley retorted. The door opened and Haley looked up to see Nathan walking in with his books in his arms. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that it was time for their tutoring session. What shocked her most was that Nathan was actually on time for once.

"You ready or should I come back later?" Nathan asked, glancing back and forth at his brother and tutor nervously.

"No, we're done here," Haley said.

"Haley," Lucas started but Haley shook her head in protest.

"The day I agree to tutor Brooke Davis is the day hell freezes over," Haley said. Lucas looked at her. She could read the disappointment in his eyes. "Is that clear enough for you?"

"Clear as glass," Lucas replied stiffly. He walked past them and brushed past Haley. He turned around at the door. "You can be such a hypocrite sometimes." He started to leave but Haley called him back. He didn't think she'd let him leave after a remark like that.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked.

"You harpoon me for not helping others when they need it. Like protecting them from my 'maniacal' girlfriend as you put it," Lucas said. Haley looked at him. "But when someone comes to you for help, you turn them down because of their reputation."

"I'm not saying no because of Brooke's reputation for being a bitch," Haley insisted. Lucas looked at her sceptically. "I'm saying no because she _is_ a bitch."

"She has her moments, that's true, but she is a good person," Lucas said. Haley scoffed. "You'd know that about her if you bothered to see past your own assumptions." Haley's eyes narrowed slightly. She smirked at him.

"Oh, you're good, but there is one thing that you're missing," Haley said.

"What's that?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I were a hypocrite, I would've said no to offering Brooke a tutor. But I didn't do that," Haley said. Lucas opened his mouth to argue but Haley didn't give him a chance as she added, "I only said that _I _wouldn't be her tutor. I've assigned her to Kailee McDougal."

"You did?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Ok," he said. He nodded and started to leave.

"It was nice _talking_ to you, Luke," Haley said sarcastically as he left the room.

"What was that?" Nathan asked.

"What?" Haley replied.

"That little sarcastic comment you just made as Lucas left," Nathan said.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Haley said.

"It was uncalled for, don't you think?" Nathan asked.

"No," Haley replied sharply.

"I don't know why you two are so harsh with each other," Nathan remarked. Haley sighed.

"Yes, you do," she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"He used to be your best friend, Haley," Nathan reminded her.

"Yeah, he used to be. Past tense," Haley said.

"And you hate him now, is that it?" he asked. Haley looked at him in surprise. "Just like you hate Peyton and Brooke."

"I don't _hate_ them," she said.

"You don't?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"I barely know them," she reminded him.

"So?" he asked, shrugging.

"Hate is a pretty strong word. They're not my favourite people in the world, but I don't hate them," she replied.

"Do you hate Lucas?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

"Then why are you so angry with him?" he asked.

"I'm not. I'm disappointed," she explained.

"In him?" Nathan asked.

"In all of you," she replied. He shot a confused look at her. "You don't think I've noticed, do you?"

"Noticed what?" he asked.

"The way you act around your friends. When I'm not around or when you think my back is turned. Do you really think I don't know what you say?" Haley asked. He sat back in his chair. When she said "you", he knew she was talking about all of them, not just him. But this admission caught him off guard. The look in her eyes; her pain pinned him to the spot and he felt like a jerk.

It was no secret that Haley James was unpopular or that the majority of the popular crowd disliked her. When she wasn't around, they talked about her and not in a good way. Nathan himself never used to pay much attention to gossip. He would listen but he never participated in it. At least, until that day in the hospital when he and Haley had gotten into an argument. Since then, his opinion of her had changed. Ever since she'd agreed to be his tutor despite of all the things he had said and done to her, he realized he had been wrong about her.

"Haley," he started. She shook her head at him.

"Don't bother explaining. I know," Haley said, "I guess I was just fooling myself."

"How?" he asked.

"By thinking that you were different. I actually thought you and I could be friends," she replied.

"Look, I…" he started.

"But I get it. People like you and I can't be friends," Haley said in a defeated tone. Nathan wished he could tell her that she was wrong but he knew she wasn't. They came from different worlds and no amount of wishing was ever going to change that. He didn't belong in her world and she was too good of a person to be dragged into his. So he sighed and put on a brave face. This was his tough face.

"Good," he said rather harshly.

"I'll reassign you to a different tutor like your father wanted," Haley said, taking off her brakes and wheeling away from him.

Two weeks later…

It was the end of the day and after school. Basketball practice had ended ten minutes ago and tutoring ended around the same time. So the halls were practically deserted as Haley wheeled up to her locker that was beside Jake Jagielski's. She ran her combination and her lock popped open. She twisted it off and opened the door. Due to the fact that she couldn't get up to reach the two top shelves, the school had taken them out and put them in lower.

"What's up, Jagielski?" A cool and confident voice drawled. Haley glanced in the direction and was not surprised to see Nathan Scott leaning against the other locker beside Jake's.

"Not much," Jake replied as he continued to rummage through his locker.

"Your girl is headed this way," Nathan commented. Brooke made her way in between them and positioned herself up against Jake's locker. She pulled him into a kiss that made Haley want to gag. In fact, she would have if she hadn't turned back to her own locker and continued with what she was doing.

"Hey, baby. How are you doing?" Brooke asked as they pulled apart.

"Much better now," Jake replied with a light chuckle. Then, Lucas and Peyton joined the group.

"Luke," Nathan said with a nod.

"Hey, Nate," Lucas said casually. Then they continued to chat about their plans for the weekend. A big party. Haley had to fight the urge to scoff. Sometimes the rich and popular were so predictable it was pathetic. A party on the weekend was hardly the most original idea.

"Hey, Nathan, catch!" his friend Tim Smith called from the other end of the hallway. He turned around to see Tim holding a football.

"I don't play football," Nathan called back, but it was too late. Tim had thrown the ball and badly miscalculated. The ball hit a student walking by in the head. That student staggered right into Haley's wheelchair. Haley had not put her breaks on and had no anticipated the impact. Her books flew to the ground as the wheelchair started rolling down the hall at an impressive speed. Then the wheelchair collided with a garbage can and Haley fell out of the chair. Her body slammed onto the concrete floor.

She groaned in pain as she tried to lift herself up but she was lying on her stomach so it was nearly impossible for her to get back in her wheelchair on her own. She sighed with frustration as she lied back down helplessly. It was then that the others had snapped into action. Nathan was at her side within seconds. He lifted her up gently and put her back in her wheelchair. "Are you alright?" he asked. His voice was devoid of emotion. It was as if he didn't care either way.

"I'm fine. Thanks," she said. He nodded and walked back to his friends. Haley wheeled back, looking for her books on her way. They weren't there. She smirked when she saw that her books were piled neatly on the shelf. Someone had picked them up for her. She finished what she was doing and left, not noticing Nathan watching her.

"Nathan?" Jake asked, waving a hand in his face. Nathan looked at him questioningly. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere. I was just thinking," he replied. Brooke chuckled. Nathan shot her a glare.

"About what?" Lucas asked, eyeing him carefully. Nathan smiled.

"The girls I'll meet at the party," he replied, smiling confidently.

"Just stay away from my squad. There have been enough catfights over you," Brooke warned.

"Yes, ma'am," Nathan said mockingly.

Nathan came home late from the party on Saturday night. He was hoping his parents were already asleep but to his amazement he walked past the living room to find his mom and dad deep in discussion. "Dan, if you're responsible, you have to come forward," him mom finished saying.

"Do you know what they'll do to me, Deb?" Dan asked.

"Do you know what the guilt will do to you?" Deb asked. Dan scoffed. "I'm serious, Dan. You nearly killed that girl. And now she's permanently scarred. Because of you."

"It's not like I was aiming for her," Dan said.

"No, but you hit her nonetheless. Then you ran," Deb said.

"I don't see why I should turn myself in. The girl is fine. She's adjusted and the cops have stopped looking for the driver," Dan said.

"Only because they don't have any leads. Sooner or later, the truth is going come out. How is up to you," Deb said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nathan asked. His parents' heads snapped up.

"Nathan. You're up late," Deb said.

"I just came in," Nathan said. Her eyes widened at the news. "You can yell at me later for that. Now what are you guys talking about?" He turned to his father.

"It's nothing," Dan said.

"Dad, you look guilty as hell. I'd hardly say it's nothing. What did you do?" Nathan asked.

"You need to tell him. It affects us all, especially him," Deb said. Dan sighed.

"Son, a few months ago, I was driving by your school in the morning. I was drunk. Too drunk to be behind the wheel. I had an accident," Dan admitted. Nathan sucked in a breath.

"You're the one that hit Haley," Nathan concluded.

Dan looked at him. His gaze unwavering as he said, "Yes, I am."


	7. Pop! Goes the Truth

**Pop! Goes the Truth **(Chapter 7)

Nathan woke up and walked into the kitchen just in time to see his father kissing his mother goodbye. "I'll see you after work," he said to her. Dan looked at Nathan and nodded. Nathan just rolled his eyes. His father left and Nathan turned to his mother.

"How long are we going to keep up this charade?" he asked. She looked up at him.

"What charade?" Deb asked with wide-eyed innocence.

"You know what I mean, Mom. Dad committed a crime. He hit Haley with his car and fled the scene without even bothering to make sure she was ok. That's a hit and run," Nathan said.

"Nathan, that was an accident," Deb said. Nathan scoffed.

"Well, that _accident_ left a girl paralysed for life. I can't believe you're condoning what he did," Nathan said.

"I'm not condoning it," Deb said defensively.

"Really? It looks that way to me," Nathan argued.

"All I'm doing is trying to keep this family together," Deb said.

"Great," Nathan said, shaking his head in disappointment, "now we're all criminals." He turned around and went back in his room.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, following him.

"We're harbouring a fugitive, Mom," Nathan said. Deb rolled her eyes.

"Stop talking about your father that way," she ordered. Nathan shook his head.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm actually glad Haley reassigned me to a different tutor. I don't know if I could look her in the eye knowing that my father is the one who ruined her life," Nathan said, turning around and grabbing some money out of the can on his desk and putting it in his wallet. He didn't really like keeping all of his money in one place so he had some in his bank account and some hidden in his room. Since he was going to school, he didn't have time to go to the bank and he needed lunch money.

"I'm sorry that you are being affected by this," she said, knowing that it wasn't much help. Nathan sighed.

"Not as sorry as I am," Nathan said before walking out of the room.

He walked into school fifteen minutes later and into the tutoring centre. Haley was there. She was tutoring that girl, Leah. The one that Peyton and Brooke had teased a long time ago and Haley had stood up for her. She was laughing and chatting. Nathan had to look away. A wave of guilt washed over him. Then anger. Towards his father for making him feel guilty. If he were honest with himself, Nathan would've realized that the thing with his father wasn't the only thing he had to feel guilty over when it came to Haley. But Nathan was rarely honest especially to himself.

He sat down and his tutor opened her notebook. She started going over yesterday's homework which Nathan only half listened to. He cast a side-glance at Haley and felt his cheeks redden when their gazes locked. She smiled at him and then turned her attention back to Leah.

"He's so cute," Leah commented, following Haley's gaze. Haley looked at her in confusion.

"Who is?" she asked. Leah chuckled.

"Nathan Scott," Leah said, catching the look of confusion on Haley's face, "He's the guy you were just staring at." Haley's cheeks went crimson.

"I used to tutor him," Haley explained, hoping to steer the conversation away from Nathan. It didn't work.

"Really?" Leah asked, her eyebrows jumping up in interest.

"Yeah," Haley replied.

"Why aren't you tutoring him anymore?" Leah asked.

Haley thought to herself for a minute before answering. "We didn't really see eye-to-eye," she replied. Haley hated gossip. She would never tell Leah the specifics of what went wrong between her and Nathan. But she wasn't a closed book with a lock on her mouth either.

"He is known for being an arrogant ass from time to time," Leah commented and Haley smiled. "It's too bad because he is really hot and rich. Two out of three isn't bad, though." Haley nodded in agreement.

"It's not enough for me," Haley said more to herself than to Leah.

"Yeah, I agree. You deserve a good guy," Leah said. Haley smiled.

"Everybody does," Haley remarked.

"Yeah, but most girls don't care about that if their guy is hot and rich like Nathan," Leah reminded her.

"That's kind of sad," Haley said.

"Nathan!" Lucas exclaimed from halfway down the hall. Nathan turned around and looked at his brother questioningly. He waited for Lucas to catch up to him.

"What?" he asked.

"Where have you been, man?" Tim asked. Nathan looked at him for an explanation. Then he turned to Lucas.

"He means that we haven't seen you in a while," Lucas replied.

"Oh. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff," he said.

"Tutoring going that bad?" Lucas asked. Nathan started to answer. "I'm kind of surprised. Haley's a bit of a miracle worker." Nathan laughed. They walked into the cafeteria and sat down with Peyton, Jake and Brooke.

"Haley's not my tutor," he replied.

"Since when?" Peyton asked.

"Since she busted me for talking about her behind her back. She feels that if we can't be respectful towards one another, then, she can't tutor me," Nathan replied. He was only partially lying. He didn't think it'd go over well if he told them that the reason was that Haley didn't like that they all talked about her behind her back. Peyton and Brooke would go ballistic and he wanted to save Haley from that. So he blamed it on himself.

"_You_ gossiped?" Brooke asked in disbelief.

"Not really. But I did say a few things about her before she started tutoring me," Nathan said.

"Well, we're going to get some lunch. Coming, baby?" Brooke asked Jake as she and Peyton stood up. Jake smiled and followed them into the servitor. Tim got up and went with them.

"Now I don't know who you think you're fooling but it isn't me," Lucas said.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

"Haley doesn't usually hold people's past behaviour against them. She might be disappointed in you but I have a feeling her real reasons for not tutoring you lie in the company you keep," Lucas said. Nathan smiled.

"You know, sometimes I forget how well you know her," he said.

"You're not best friends for someone as long as Haley and I were without getting to know them," Lucas offered.

"Well, you're right. It is about you guys but it's also about me," Nathan said. Lucas nodded.

"Because you couldn't be different, right?" Lucas asked.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"It's the reason we're not friends anymore. Haley hates it when people 'go with the flow'; I guess you could call it. They see something wrong and they don't do something to stop it or prevent it. They just let it happen. She used to say that people who follow Peyton and Brooke blindly are nothing but a bunch of lemmings," Lucas said.

"And Haley doesn't like lemmings," Nathan concluded. Lucas nodded. Nathan sighed.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Lucas asked. Nathan laughed as he shook his head.

"I found something out about my dad yesterday that doesn't exactly make him the best person in the world. It's sort of a family crisis because my mom's behind him one hundred percent," Nathan said.

"Any chance you're going to tell me what Good Old Dad did?" Lucas asked. Nathan shook his head.

"No chance," he replied. Lucas nodded.

"And what's your opinion?" Lucas asked.

"I'm torn. I mean, on one hand, he's my dad. I want to protect him. But on the other hand. What he did was wrong. There's no two ways about it; it's just wrong. If it were someone else, I would turn him in, but…" Nathan said.

"He's your dad," Lucas finished. Nathan nodded. "I understand. I feel the same way about Keith." Lucas and Nathan had bonded as brothers but Nathan respected that Lucas didn't see Dan as his real father just like Lucas respected that Nathan loved Dan in spite of all the things he had done.

"But it doesn't just affect me and my mom or even him. There's someone else involved. Someone who's completely innocent in everything but paid a huge price because of what he did," Nathan said.

"Do you know this person?" Lucas asked. Nathan nodded.

"Yeah, I do," he said.

"Just so we're clear. Dan did do something illegal, right?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, yeah," Nathan replied.

"And this other person didn't?" Lucas asked.

"No, they didn't. They were the victim," Nathan said. Lucas sighed. He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table.

"I know how much you love Dan, Nathan. I understand that you don't want to hurt him or I guess, betray him. I really do," Lucas said.

"Thanks, man," Nathan said. Lucas shook his head.

"But you've got to put that aside and think about the victim. You said this person paid a price for what Dan did. Now I'm assuming that what they lost is something they can never get back," Lucas said.

"They lost their legs," Nathan replied. Lucas' eyes widened.

"You've got to tell the victim, Nathan," Lucas said.

"Are you insane?" Nathan exclaimed. Lucas shook his head.

"Look, I know this hard for you. No matter what you do, you feel like you're betraying someone. But Dan did cost this person their legs and they should be the one that decides whether or not to turn Dan in. After all, they are the victim in all of this," Lucas said.

"If I tell them and they decide to charge him, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself. Not to mention, my parents would disown me. I shouldn't have even told you," Nathan said.

"True. But would you be able to live with yourself if you keep quiet?" Lucas asked.

"I need to talk to my dad about it," Nathan said.

"Want some back up?" Lucas offered. Nathan nodded.

"Nathan, we've talked about this," Dan said, "No one was killed and the person who was seriously injured seems to have adjusted perfectly well. So all's well and there's no need to open all this up again." Nathan shook his head at his father.

"That's easy for you to say, Dad. You're not the one who has to look Haley in the eyes every day," Nathan said.

"Nathan's right," Lucas said. Then his face faltered as he looked at Nathan. "Wait a minute. Haley?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah," he said.

Lucas turned to Dan. "You hit Haley?" he exclaimed. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I did. I hit Miss James," Dan replied.

"And you just drove away? Without even bother to see if she was ok?" Lucas asked.

"Yes," Dan said.

"You do know that she was in a coma, right?" Lucas asked. Dan nodded slowly. "You almost killed her."

"This is not news, Lucas. Nathan already read Dan the riot act," Deb snapped.

"Well, apparently, he didn't do a good enough job because Dan hasn't turned himself in yet," Lucas retorted. Nathan cracked a smile. His brother was oddly never afraid of Nathan's mother. She was a judge so a lot of people were even he was sometimes.

"Miss James is perfectly fine," Dan argued.

"Maybe to you she is," Nathan said.

"Look, we're all arguing about what to do when it's not even our place. This is Haley's decision to make," Lucas said. Dan looked at him strangely.

"Lucas is right. I think maybe we should invite her over, sit her down and tell her the truth and then hear what she wants to do about it," Dan said.

"That's not quite what I had in mind," Lucas said.

"But you're right, Lucas. I highly doubt Haley will want to put me behind bars. I'm the mayor, after all. That's got to count for something in her books," Dan said. Lucas scoffed.

"Clearly you don't know her that well," Lucas commented. Dan looked at her.

"She doesn't give a rat's ass about politics," Nathan explained.

Ten minutes later…

Haley was sitting in her wheelchair in the Scott residence. The only reason she had agreed to come over was because Nathan had told her that he had something to tell her. She hoped he was going to tell her that she was wrong about him not being different. Dan Scott was rambling on and on about his responsibilities as the mayor and how much he had contributed to Tree Hill. "I hate to interrupt, Mr. Scott, but do you have some kind of point?" she asked when her patience ran out.

"I have a confession to make, Haley," he said.

"What kind of confession?" she asked.

"I know who hit you," Dan said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. "It was me," he admitted. Haley froze and Nathan felt like the biggest jerk in the world. They had ambushed her. Then her kind smile turned into a snarl.

"Responsibilities as a mayor," she drawled. His father looked at her. Haley just scoffed. "Isn't it the responsibility of the mayor to uphold the law?"

"Miss James, I realize how this must look," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"The only reason I didn't turn myself in was because of my family. My wife and son need me, you see," Dan said.

"Yes," she said stiffly and turned to glare at Nathan, "I do."

"So you know what will happen to them if I'm arrested?" he asked.

"Oh, I get it," she said. Dan looked at her. "So you're telling me that because you have a family I should ignore that it's because of you that I'm stuck in this damn thing."

"Not ignore. Just realize that if you put me in prison, my wife and son will be the ones who pay for that," Dan said. Haley clenched her jaw. "I will cover all your medical expenses and I'll even rehire your brother Zach as a mechanic."

"I will not be paid off," she said. Haley scoffed as she took the breaks off her wheelchair and sped out of the room. Nathan got up and followed her.

"Haley, wait!" Nathan called after her. She flung her wheelchair around and glared at him. "You really wouldn't take the money?" Haley's eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, I wouldn't," Haley said.

"Why?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Your money may do a lot of things, Nathan, but it won't make me forget what happened," she snapped.

"We're not saying that you should forget. We're just asking you to use your discretion. If my dad goes to jail, my uncle will seize control of the dealership. That's my dad's business. He built it from scratch. It means everything. And as you well know, Dan Scott Motors doesn't hire ex-convicts," Nathan said, Haley's eyes narrowed at the comment about her brother, "My mom will fall apart without him. I need my father."

"What about _me_, Nathan? I'm in a wheelchair because of your father. And if some Good Samaritan hadn't called 911, I would be _dead_!" Haley exclaimed. "How do you think my family would've handled my death?" He looked down and Haley dialled her brother's phone number. About ten minutes later, he picked her up.


	8. Who's Her Daddy?

**Who's Her Daddy? **(Chapter 8)

Haley smiled as she wheeled out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. After her accident, her father had moved her bedroom into his study and his study had been moved upstairs. Her sister was at the stove, making bacon and pancakes. "Hey, Hales!" Taylor exclaimed as she turned around. Haley smiled at her big sister who walked over to the table with a plate of food. "Here you go. Eat up," she said. Haley looked down at the plate and smiled.

"Thanks, Tay!" she exclaimed, as she dug into her pancakes. "Someday, you're gonna have to teach me how you make these things."

"A chef never reveals their secret," Taylor said with a wink of her left eye.

"Maybe the chef should get a job before they start acting like a know-it-all," Anthony said as he walked in. Taylor rolled her eyes. 

"For your information, I have an interview this afternoon," she said, turning back to her food.

"Oh, really? Where?" Haley asked.

"At that café you used to work at," Taylor replied.

"Karen's Café?" Zach asked from his seat at the table. Taylor nodded. Haley's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you're going to love working for Karen. I wish I still worked there," Haley said. Silence fell over the table as they all looked down. The reason Haley was unable to work at Karen's Café as a restaurant was because of her paralysis. Of course, Karen had insisted that she could find something for Haley to do like working behind the counter, but Haley didn't want to feel like a burden so she quit.

"You could still work there," Taylor remarked.

"I know Karen said that I could, but she doesn't realize how hard it would be with me there," Haley said.

"I don't think she cares much, sweetie. She loved having you work for her," her father said as he came into the room.

"Maybe you should come with me this afternoon. If she sees you're my sister, it might be one thing that sets me apart from the other applicants," Taylor said.

"That would be cheating," Haley scolded.

"The real world is like that," Taylor said.

"Well, it shouldn't be," she said. Taylor glanced over her shoulder as she shrugged.

"And yet it is," Taylor said.

"Mail call," their father said. He handed everyone their individual mail. Haley glanced at four envelopes. One was about a college fair. She opened it and memorized the date. Once she read the return address on the second piece of mail, she frowned. She handed the letter to Zach. He looked at it and closed his eyes.

"Throw it out, please," she said. Her dad leaned over Zach's shoulder to read what it was and then looked back at Haley.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive," Haley replied.

"You know, we've never really talked about him, Haley. If you want to spend time with him, none of us would ever hold that against you," her father said. Haley laughed bitterly.

"Why would I want to get to know that monster?" she asked.

"Because he's your father," Anthony replied.

"Biologically speaking, yes, he is. But in every way that counts, he's not," she said as she looked at Jimmy who smiled.

"Well, there's got to be a reason he's writing you, Hales," Zach said gently.

"And I have no interest in knowing what that reason is," she replied stiffly. She read over the last two pieces of mail and her eyes widened in disbelief as she read their contents. She asked her brother to drive her somewhere.

Anthony helped his sister out of the van and brought her up the driveway and sat her in the wheelchair. Haley waited for him to leave and she pounded on the front door. The door opened and Nathan's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Haley, what are you doing here?" Nathan asked.

"Is your father home?" she asked.

"Yeah. What's going on?" he asked.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"In his office," Nathan replied.

"I need to talk to him," she said. Nathan shook his head in confusion but led the way into his dad's office. He looked up from the papers he was writing on and his face brightened as he saw Nathan and Haley. "Miss James!" he said. Haley wheeled forward, unfolded a bunch of papers and threw them on his desk.

"What the hell is _this_?" she exclaimed in fury. Dan frowned at her and then read the papers. His eyes registered recognition and then he put it down.

"Well, the first one is a copy of the cheque to the hospital. I told you I would pay off your bills," he said.

"In exchange for what?" she demanded.

"Your discretion involving that little matter we discussed last week, of course," he replied.

"I haven't made up my mind about that yet and I specifically remember telling you to take your offer and go to hell," she said.

"I thought you were just being emotional," he replied. Her mouth curled into a snarl.

"Well, I wasn't. Not all of us have mood swings because we have to take pain killers to stomach being married to you," she retorted. Dan smirked in surprise.

"That is merely a rumour," he said.

"I don't care! The point is that you had no business doing what you did. Do you take joy in meddling in other people's lives?" she asked. Dan just remained silent. "And on that note, where the hell do you get off by approving parole for Andrew Hargrove?" Haley demanded.

"He is a model prisoner, he's atoned for his crime and I assumed that his daughter, of all people, would appreciate that he is being set free soon," he replied. Her eyes narrowed into slits. Nathan gasped. He remembered her telling him that her father was in prison.

"Well, maybe I would be had he not killed my mother," Haley replied. Dan's eyes widened.


	9. Haley Bites Back

A/N: In this chapter, you will see an interesting side of Haley as well as a whole bunch of drama as some of you predicted. There will be a few unfriendly confrontations, an admission, a decision will be made and a startling discovery. Leave some words. Enjoy )

**Haley Bites Back **(Chapter 9)

Haley was sitting at her desk in the tutoring centre going over some administrative paperwork. There was a teacher assigned to oversee the tutoring program, but it was only a figurehead position. Haley was the one who did all the work. She filled in the forms and the teacher merely signed the dotted line. But without that teacher, the tutoring program wouldn't be there so Haley didn't mind if someone else got the credit for all her work. As long as the tutoring centre remained intact, she wouldn't care who got the credit. Just then, the door swung open and Haley looked up to see Nathan. "Don't you have practice?" she asked.

"I skipped it," he replied. Haley's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What does the mayor have to say about that?" Haley asked sarcastically.

"He doesn't know yet. I imagine he'll be quite upset once he finds out," Nathan said regretfully. Haley wheeled out from behind the sympathies.

"Normally, a student with an overbearing, basketball-obsessed father would have my sympathy," Haley said. She looked at his legs then looked down at her own. She ran her hands along the metal handles on the wheels of her wheelchair that helped her steer and frowned. "But for some reason, I just can't find it in my heart to feel sorry for you."

"Haley," he started.

"I wonder why that is," she said.

He lowered his head. "Listen, I know what you must think of me," he started.

"No, _you_ listen," she burst out. His head snapped up and he looked at her. She wheeled closer to him. "You have no idea what I think about you. You don't know what I think or feel every time I see you."

"You probably hate me," he said.

She scoffed. "Don't get self-deprecating. It's obnoxious and pathetic," Haley snapped.

"I was only trying to do what was best for my dad and family," he said.

"What exactly does that mean?" she asked. He stopped to think.

"I'm protecting him," Nathan replied.

"From what?" she asked.

"You," he replied.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Who hit who?" she asked, looking at him.

He looked away. "Not that kind of protection. My dad would not survive in prison," Nathan started.

Haley felt a burst of anger. "Your dad is still walking around!" she exclaimed. His eyes darted to hers at the outburst. "I'm not."

"And I'm really sorry about that," he said. Haley held his gaze for a minute. She could tell that he was being sincere. He really hated that she had to pay for what his father did.

"You're not that one that needs to be sorry. Your father does and he hasn't expressed the least bit of remorse for what he did to me," Haley said.

"He's offered things to make amends for what he did," Nathan said defensively.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "he keeps offering things that he thinks will make my life better not because he feels guilty but to ensure his freedom."

"You make it sound like he's some conniving manipulator," Nathan said as if she were accusing Dan of murder.

Haley just looked at him and said, "Your words, Nathan, not mine." Nathan glared at her.

"That's my father you're talking about," he said. Haley shrugged. Nathan just walked out of the room.

"She said what?" Peyton Sawyer exclaimed the next day at lunch.

"I told you that it's not a big deal," Nathan said.

"Obviously," Lucas said sarcastically.

"She insulted your family, Nathan," Brooke reminded him.

"When we insulted hers that day, she got so mad that she poured two pitchers of water over us," Peyton added.

"I can't believe you're not pissed," Brooke said.

"She has reason to say the things she said," Nathan said.

"No," Brooke said, shaking her head. She stood up and walked out of the cafeteria and headed straight into the tutoring centre. Haley looked up when the door opened and widened her eyes in curiosity at Brooke. "Why am I not surprised to find you in here alone?" she quipped.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

"Yeah, there is a big problem," Brooke said.

"And it would be?" Haley asked.

"You hurt Nathan's feelings with the things you said about his father," Brooke said.

"So?" Haley asked.

"So you should apologize," Brooke said.

Haley snorted. "Yeah, that's what I'm going to do," she said sarcastically.

"Haley, you criticized his father's character by insinuating that he was some sort of master manipulator and _that_ hurt my friend's feelings," Brooke said. Haley leaned back in her wheelchair and looked at Brooke. She found her righteous indignation amusing. If the twit only knew the truth about what Nathan's father had done to her, Haley had a feeling she would be singing a different tune.

"Well, sometimes the truth hurts, Brooke. It's not my fault if Nathan can't accept it," Haley said. Brooke stiffened and glared at Haley as if she were an insect.

"Remember who I am, Haley. I practically rule this school and I could make your life here a living hell," Brooke warned. Haley smiled at Brooke as she continued, "If you don't want to spend the rest of your time here as a social outcast, then I suggest you wheel over to the cafeteria and apologize to Nathan or I swear."

"And cut!" Haley said, clapping her hands to shut Brooke up. She leaned forward and looked at Brooke menacingly as she spoke, "When I need an annoyance, I'll call for you. If and when I decide to apologize to Nathan, it will be because I decide to do it, not you." Knowing she was beat, Brooke stormed off in a huff.

Two weeks later, one day after school there was a knock on the door of the James family home. Haley was the only one home and she had planned it that way. She opened the front door and was not surprised to see Deb, Dan, Royal, Mae, Lucas, Keith, Karen and Lucas Scott on the other side. She had called the whole family over to announce her decision. They all walked in and followed Haley to the living room.

"Haley, why did you call us here?" Karen asked. Haley looked at Dan, Deb and Nathan.

"Don't they know?" she asked. Dan shook his head.

"Know what?" Mae Scott asked, looking at her son curiously.

"I've made up my mind," Haley announced. Dan shot a hopeful look her way. "I won't tell." He sighed.

"Thank you," Deb said. Haley looked at her.

"Don't thank me yet. I want you to face what you did," Haley said, looking at Dan.

"I don't understand," he said. Haley looked at the rest of the Scott family. Nathan followed her gaze and read the look in her eyes. He knew what she wanted his father to do.

"Haley, you can't be serious," he said.

"I'm dead serious. See, I may be willing to keep the police out of this but I'm not willing to let you get off scot-free. You need to do a few things," she said. Dan still looked at her.

"The police?" Royal Scott asked in alarm.

"What is she talking about?" Keith asked. Lucas sucked in a breath.

"I want you to tell them the truth about what you did," Haley said. Dan looked at her pleadingly.

"Miss James, come on," he said, shaking his head. Haley shrugged.

"Otherwise," Haley said with a shrug, "I'll have no choice but to press charges and the whole world will know then, including them." Dan nodded. He turned to his family.

"A few months ago, Miss James was hit by a drunk driver," Dan began. Haley shook her head.

"The whole truth," Haley interjected.

"A drunk driver that ran a red light, trying to get to work on time after leaving the school early. The car hit her while driving well over the speed limit and dragged her for at least a block. She landed in a coma and was paralysed from the accident. The driver did not stop and check to make sure that she was ok. Instead, they drove off, leaving her for dead," Dan said. Royal and Mae gasped in horror. Keith just kept his eyes on his brother.

"Don't tell me," Karen said. Dan nodded.

"I was the driver," he finished.

"Danny," Mae started.

"What other conditions do you have, Haley?" Nathan asked. Haley could hear the anger in his tone. She just shrugged it off in her mind and looked at Dan.

"You approved parole for Andrew Hargrove," Haley reminded him. Dan's face brightened.

"Yes, I did," he said, nodding.

"I want you to un-approve it," she said. Dan looked at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Dan said.

"You don't understand, Mr. Scott. My mother had an affair with him and got pregnant with me. When I was born, he assumed that my mother was going to leave her husband and her other children to be a family with him and me. But my mom had no intention of doing that. She was using him to get pregnant because her husband had been forced to have a vasectomy due to a medical condition. When Hargrove realized that he was just a pawn, and that my mom was going to keep me from him, he became enraged. He attacked my mother and stabbed her to death," Haley said.

"Haley," Dan said.

"While she was still in the hospital. I wasn't even three hours old. My mom never even got to hold me. I've never known her. And I don't want to know him," Haley said. Her voice became pleading.

"It's not that I don't want to, Miss James. I mean that I literally can't," Dan said.

"Why not?" Haley asked.

"Your father is already out. He was released two days ago," Dan replied. Haley went numb.


	10. Thought I Figured You Out

**A/N: It's a short chapter, I know, but it's all I could come up with right now because I've been preoccupied with a new idea for a story. Leave some words. Enjoy **:-)

**Thought I Figured You Out **(Chapter 10)

Haley looked at Dan in disbelief. "He's what?" she asked.

"I'm very sorry, Haley. I assumed his crime was thievery or something like that. I had no idea he murdered your mother," Dan said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Well, you would have had you consulted me about letting him go instead of just doing whatever you damn well please like you always seem to do," Haley said. Her eyes were burning with anger. Nathan stood up and walked over to her.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, leaning down so they were face to face. Haley nodded as she wheeled out of the living room, past the dining room and into the kitchen.

"What?" she asked.

"You just forced my dad to tell his _parents_ that he committed a crime and nearly killed someone," Nathan said.

"So what?" she asked. She could see where this was headed and if Nathan really wanted another battle, Haley was more than willing to give him one.

"So what?" he repeated and let it hang in the air. "My dad idolizes his father and his father is very proud of him because of his success with basketball."

Haley nodded. "History really does repeat itself in your family," she commented.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Think about it. Dan and his father are exactly like you and Dan. The son idolizes the father, doing everything he can to please him but if he can't win the _big game_, his efforts go unnoticed by the father. The father has this delusion that his son is perfect because he can play basketball but still pressures him to be better than he already is so that he won't be disappointed the same way his father was," Haley said. Nathan looked at her and shook his head. Haley continued, "And the son's biggest fear is that he'll disappoint his father. He can't deal with his father's rejection so he does other things to make up for his supposed failure."

"There may be some truth to that but it's completely irrelevant in this situation," Nathan said.

"I don't think so. I think that you're afraid of your father disapproving of you so you're backing him up on this even though you know it's wrong. You know your father should be in jail," Haley said.

"But he's not," Nathan said. Haley shrugged. "Why didn't you press charges? I mean, you were so hell-bent on getting justice or revenge on my dad but you're letting him walk away." Haley shook her head.

"From the law, yes, but like I said, Dan's worst fear is that his father will be disappointed in him," Haley said.

"And?" he asked.

"What's more disappointing than learning that your son committed a crime that almost cost someone their life?" Haley asked. Nathan was speechless for a few minutes. He just stared at her in shock.

"Wow," he said. Haley looked at him. "Who knew you could be so spiteful?"

"I'm human, Nathan. When I get hurt, I want revenge just like everyone else," she replied simply.

"You're not like everyone else," Nathan argued. Haley laughed.

"And how exactly would you know that?" she shot back. "It's not as if we've spent a lot of time together, Nathan. I tutored you for about a month and we didn't get very close, if you remember." Nathan swallowed hard.

"I remember," he said.

"I told you things about me that you used against me," she said. His head shot up at that.

"What?" he asked. Haley cocked her head to the side.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" she exclaimed. He remained silent. "When all of this happened and you were sure that I was going to throw your father in prison, your dad came to you for advice on how to buy my silence, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?" he asked.

"Outside of my family, you were the only person I told about Hargrove. Now, seeing as how my mother was their mother too, I doubt my siblings told Dan to set him free and I know Jimmy sure as hell wouldn't want the person that killed his wife roaming around. That bastard took the mother that I never knew away so I didn't tell Dan. So the only other person left is you," Haley ranted. Nathan's eyes widened.

"Oh, God," he said.

"Yeah," she said.

"Haley, when my father came to me, I had no idea that he was going to set a murderer free," Nathan said.

"You still told him something that I told you in confidence," Haley said.

"I was desperate to stop my dad from going to prison and I'm sorry," he said. Haley nodded.

"Not as sorry as I'm going to be," she said.

**A/N 2: An update for this story, "Sight Unseen" and my new story titled "Cross My Heart" will be coming. "Cross My Heart" is going to be a sequel to "The Past Returns". I'm giving you some time to read it before I post the first chapter. Well, actually, I haven't finished writing that first chapter but I can still use that excuse, can't I? LOL. Have a great day. **:-)


	11. Dysfunctional

**Dysfunctional **(Chapter 11)

"_Haley," Jimmy James said to the 12-year-old girl sitting before him. _

"_Yes, dad?" she asked. He frowned at the name. _

"_Honey, I have something to tell you and it's not going to be easy to hear," he said. Haley walked closer to the couch in the James living room and plopped down next to her father. _

"_You can tell me anything. You know that," Haley said. _

"_I know, but that doesn't make this any easier," he said, nodding at her. Haley's nose crinkled. She clearly did not understand what Jimmy was talking about. "We haven't talked a lot about your mother, have we?" Haley's eyes widened as she slowly shook her head. It was obvious that she was taken aback by the sudden mention of her mother. _

_There was one thing that the James family did not discuss and that was Lydia James. Haley had always been sad that they refused to tell her about the mother she never knew but learned to accept that it was sort of a forbidden topic. She had grown up with it and now it was suddenly not a rule? "I thought that's the way you wanted it," she replied. _

"_No, sweetie. I never liked the fact that you never got to know your mother or that we never told you about her. It was my way of protecting you because even though you're not really my daughter, I still feel like your real father," he said. _

"_I get it. I know what you mean. I still feel like you're my real…" Haley started but her sentence trailed off when she realized that what he said had sounded off. "Hold on a minute. What do you mean; I'm not really your daughter?" Jimmy slapped his forehead when he realized he had just let it pop out like that. _

"_I'm sorry, sweetie. I meant to break it to you gently but sometimes my mouth isn't connected to my brain," he said. Haley looked at him. _

"_Break what to me gently?" she asked. _

"_Take a deep breath, Haley. Let me say what I have to say," he said, and when Haley started to open her mouth to speak he shook his head, "with no interruptions." Haley closed her mouth defiantly and looked at him. Then he told her the horrifying truth._

Haley blinked back tears as she remembered what it felt like to hear that her father was a murderer who killed her mother and that the person she always thought was her father, the person who had been telling her he was her father ever since she could remember, was not.

"Wow. And I thought my family was screwed up," Nathan commented. Haley looked up at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Thanks a lot," she snapped. They were sitting in her kitchen a week after Haley had forced Dan to confess his crime to his family. They had worked out their differences. He had come to the tutoring centre to try to apologize to her and caught her in a moment of weakness. She was in the middle of a panic attack and Nathan had comforted her. It was then that Haley had realized that he was indeed different than everyone else. He just did his damndest to hide it.

Nathan smiled at her. "Sorry but you've got to admit that it's true," he said.

"I've never denied that. I just don't enjoy having it thrown back in my face," she said, folding her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"So what happened after your dad told you about, well, your dad?" Nathan asked, grimacing as he realized that the question was worded weirdly. Haley chuckled.

"I threw one hell of a temper tantrum. Not like when a kid doesn't get to play with a toy they want. It was more akin to the Battle of Dieppe," Haley said. Nathan looked at her in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't you ever remember anything we learn in history?" she asked.

"Not really. That's part of why I have a tutor for that subject," he reminded her. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I went ballistic. I told my dad that I hated him and that I hated my mom. I pretty much hated the whole world at that time," she said.

"That's understandable, Haley. Your entire world was forever changed," he said.

"And it's about to be again," she said. Nathan's brow furrowed.

"Maybe," he said. She looked at him in confusion and he just shrugged. "Your dad's been out for more than a week and you haven't heard from him. It's possible that you never will." Haley looked at him sceptically.

"If you had been put in prison thus keeping you away from your daughter for 17 years and you had the opportunity to see her again, would you pass it up?" she asked.

"If I had murdered her mother, yes, I would," he replied. Haley glared at him. "Sorry." She nodded, signalling that he was forgiven.

"Besides, he already did contact me," Haley admitted. Nathan looked at her expectantly. "He wrote me a letter."

"What did it say?" he asked.

"Beats me," she replied and catching the confused look she added, "I told Zach to throw it away without a second thought."

"That doesn't mean that he actually did throw it away," Nathan said.

"Of course he did. I saw him do it," she said.

"He could've dug it out of the trash once you left the room. He may have thought you'd want to read it some day," Nathan said. Haley stopped to think. Zach was one of the people who thought about those kinds of things. He was always telling her that one day she would regret throwing out the numerous letters that had come to the house from the prison over the years. Plus, he was a helpless packrat.

She took off her breaks and asked Nathan to carry her up to Zach's room. Nathan looked at her. "You want to go snooping through your brother's room?" he asked incredulously.

"Not snooping. I'm only taking back my property. Besides, I know exactly where it'll be so it's not like we'll accidentally stumble upon his porn collection," she said, eyeing him carefully. Nathan went red.

Haley laughed at his embarrassment. "Well, come on," she said, reaching out. He sighed and picked her up. She directed him on where to go once they were upstairs. They walked into her brother's room and Haley instructed Nathan to put her down on the floor near Zach's desk.

"Why do you want me to put you on the floor?" he asked.

"Just trust that I know what I'm doing," she said. He rolled his eyes but gently set her down by the desk. She reached in between the desk and his computer and pulled out a few envelopes. She frowned when she saw some of the other addresses but finally found the one that her "father" had sent. "I've got it. Now let's go."

"You're not going to read it?" he asked.

"Not in here, no," she replied. He picked her back up again and in a minute she was back in her chair pushed up to the kitchen table. Haley ripped open the envelope and unfolded the small piece of paper inside.

_Dear Haley,_

_Hello again, sweetie. Judging by the fact that you haven't answered any of my other letters, it's safe to assume that Jimmy has told you about me; that I'm your father and my unfortunate mistake regarding your mother. I don't know if there's anything I can say that will truly express how sorry I am for what I did to Lydia. I loved your mother, Haley. I thought she loved me too but when I found out that she was just using me to get pregnant (and that she planned on taking you with her), I became enraged. _

_One day you'll understand that one of the scariest things for a parent is having your child taken away from you. When faced with that, you throw all reason and logic away and do whatever is necessary to stop it from happening. Now I know that what I did was wrong and there is no way to excuse it. I should've gone through the courts but I realized what that might to do you. So I confronted Lydia the day before you were born. She had the gall to pretend not to know who I was and say that she and her husband were expecting their third child together. _

_That pushed me over the edge. So I reacted without thinking and it cost me everything; my freedom but mostly it cost me my chance to watch you grow up. So I'm hoping beyond hope that when I get out, you'll be willing to give me a chance._

_From your father who loves you._

Haley was still as she passed the note to Nathan. He put it down on the table and looked at her. "Are you ok?" he asked. Haley chuckled wryly.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. There were tears trickling down her face and Nathan got up and walked over to her.

He reached out and gingerly wiped the tears away. "You're going to get through this and you don't have to see him if you don't want to," he reminded her.

"You don't know him," she said.

"Neither do you," he pointed out.

"I know what he's like. If he wants to meet me then we're going to meet," she said, nodding. My family picked a hell of a time to go on vacation. Now I'm going to be all alone when he comes."

Then she started to shake and Nathan cupped her cheek and forced her to look him in the eyes. "I'll be here for you," he said. She looked away and then back at him. She started to speak but he leaned down more and pulled her face closer and crushed their lips together.


	12. Who Will Save Your Soul?

**Who Will Save Your Soul?** (Chapter 12)

"What was that for?" Haley asked, searching Nathan's face for some sign as to what he was feeling.

Nathan shrugged and looked back at her with a lopsided grin. "I don't know," he said.

"Yes, you do," Haley said, not buying his confused manner. Nathan looked back at her with surprise in his blue eyes. "You usually kiss girls on a whim?"

"No," he replied, "I never kiss someone when I don't want to."

"So then why did you say you didn't know why you kissed me?" she asked. Nathan shook his head.

"You asked me what the kiss was for. It wasn't for a specific reason. I did it because I wanted to," he explained.

After she digested the words, she smiled wide. "Come here," she said, motioning for him to lean down. He obeyed and she hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him- lightly at first but when she realized he wasn't going to pull away, she deepened the kiss.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell how you'll respond," Nathan said to his brother as they were walking back to Lucas' house.

"So just tell me," Lucas said.

"I kissed Haley," Nathan said. Lucas' eyes widened. "And she kissed me back." His mouth dropped open.

His eyes were full of amusement as he asked, "Haley James kissed _you_ back?" Nathan watched in annoyance as Lucas chuckled.

"That's nice, Luke. Really touching," Nathan said which only made Lucas laugh harder. "It's not _that_ funny."

"Are you kidding?" Lucas asked. "Come on, Nate. You and Haley? Cupid must've been high when he made that match."

Nathan looked at him seriously. "Some people might say that about you and Peyton," he said. Lucas' laughter died immediately.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just that your relationship with Peyton caught some people off guard and not just Haley. I was actually surprised when you chose Peyton's side," Nathan explained.

"I love Peyton," Lucas reminded him.

"Yeah, you do _now_, but you had only been dating for a few months at the time. You were friends with Haley for eight years. It was kind of callous of you to choose Peyton over the girl you've known most of your life," he said.

"Well, I did and maybe I wasn't in love with Peyton then but I am now. And even so, Haley turned her back on me the one time I didn't take her side so it just goes to show what kind of friend she really was," Lucas burst out.

"Hey, don't yell at me. I'm not the one you're mad at. In fact, I had nothing to do with it," Nathan said.

"Sorry," Lucas said.

"One thing I do know is that Haley has more guts than anyone I know. She stood up to Brooke and Peyton when others just watched. She did the right thing and she didn't back down even when it cost her, her best friend," Nathan said.

Lucas nodded. "She practically lives by 'Do unto others as they would do to you'. When we were in grade eight, we had to do this thing where we stood up and say a saying, sing a song, or recite a poem. It had to be something with a moral or a life lesson. Haley read a poem," he said.

"What was it called?" Nathan asked.

"Do No Harm," Lucas replied.

_The world is a crazy place_

_People will punch you in the face_

_Without remorse; not a single trace_

_The world is full of woe_

_People will kick you down_

_When you're already low_

_No one is safe _

_In any place_

_No one is spared_

_We'll hurt anyone_

_And has anybody really ever cared?_

_But you should rise above it_

_Even if they break your arm_

_Remember to do no harm_


	13. Unforgiven

_A/N: Well here's the long-awaited updated of this story. Some Lucas interaction and for those who like Anthony, he's in it. And a little surprise at the bottom. Again don't scroll down to see what it is. Leave some words. Enjoy_ :-)

**Unforgiven** (Chapter 13)

3 months later…

"I don't care!" Haley James exclaimed.

"Haley, come on," Anthony said. Haley shook her head defiantly. Anthony had come back from the cruise early because his girlfriend had called him, saying she was back in town from her business trip. Haley thought he was crazy, living on her schedule when he had his own life to live and could probably find someone who was actually devoted to him.

"You and Lucas were best friends for a long time, Haley. Are you really just going to walk away from that?" Nathan asked his girlfriend. They were all in the James kitchen and Anthony had just informed them that Lucas had been there earlier that morning hoping to talk to Haley.

"Why not? He did," she replied.

"You're not him," Nathan reminded her. Haley looked at him and her eyes narrowed.

"Irrelevant. I made every effort to put aside my feelings about Peyton and be happy for him and the one time I don't follow suit and treat her like the teen queen people seem to think she is, he ditches our friendship," Haley retorted.

"And that was wrong of him but at least he's realized that he was wrong," Nathan said. Haley scoffed.

"Only because he and Peyton are fighting," Haley argued. Nathan and Anthony looked at each other and then at her.

"What makes you think they're arguing?" Nathan asked. Haley shrugged.

"What other explanation could there possibly be?" Haley asked.

"Maybe that I want my friend back," Lucas replied, walking into the kitchen.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Haley asked.

"We both know you would never let me in," Lucas said. Haley smirked.

"Well, what do you know? Apparently, you're not as clueless as I thought you were," she said.

"That's not fair," Lucas said. Haley laughed.

"No, Lucas, it is fair. You have barely spoken to me in the last three years and when you did, it wasn't pure sunshine that came out of your mouth. It was crap," Haley said.

"Haley, come on," he said.

"You cannot avoid me for three years, sit by while your girlfriend and her little clique trash me and my family, waltz back into my life out of pity and then expect me to welcome you back with open arms. It doesn't work that way," Haley snapped.

"I didn't want to lose Peyton and I didn't have any options," he said quietly. His tone sounded so defeated and would probably make most girls swoon and instantly forgiven, but then again, Haley James was hardly most girls.

"Don't make me laugh," she spat. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You made the choice to stand by your girlfriend and berate me for defending one of her victims all on your own. So if you want to pretend that you were backed into a corner then, by all means, be my guest."

Lucas looked at her hopefully. "But don't think for a second that I'm going to accept it. I gave you a chance to change your mind, I even went so far as to admit that maybe I was a little harsh, and you threw it in my face," she said.

"Maybe you were a little harsh? Haley, you slapped her across the face!" Lucas exclaimed.

"That's because she wouldn't shut her mouth. At least I warned her before I did it," Haley said.

"And then that time, you poured two pitchers of water over her head," he said.

"After she had just finished calling my sister a slut and my brother a delinquent," Haley snapped.

"Well, Zach has been in jail a lot," Lucas pointed out.

"Careful," Anthony and Haley both warned simultaneously. Haley had her hand right raised, poised and ready to slap him if he crossed the line again. Anthony just walked closer, towering over Lucas.

"Sorry. The point is that Peyton didn't say anything that wasn't true," Lucas said.

"Do you hear yourself?" Anthony demanded.

"Are your brain and mouth even connected?" Haley asked.

"It came out wrong. Look, what I was trying to say was…" he started.

"I don't even want to know what you were _trying_ to say," Haley interjected.

"Haley," Nathan started but stopped she shot him a glare. He got the message. She wanted him to stay out of it so he did.

"Yes, you do," Lucas said.

"No, I don't because it's always the same thing with you," Haley said.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"All you care about is your precious Peyton. You haven't said anything about how she was wrong and that I was right. All you're doing is defending her again and again!" Haley exclaimed.

"She's my girlfriend! Of course I'm going to defend her," he snapped.

"Well, I was your best friend. Did I mean nothing to you?" she asked.

"Of course you did just…" Lucas started.

"I wasn't as important as Peyton," Haley finished.

"No," he said. Then there was a knock on the door. Furious, Haley wheeled out of the room to the front door and opened it. Nathan leaned against the kitchen doorway so he could see Haley.

"Hello," a man said. Haley's eyes narrowed at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Sweetheart, are you seriously telling me you don't recognize your own father?" Andrew Hargrove asked with a thick New Zealand accent. Haley's eyes widened, wheeling back a bit. Nathan found this odd so he came into the foyer and looked from the man to the horrified look on Haley's face. Lucas and Anthony came out too.

"Hales, what's wrong?" Nathan asked. Haley only looked at him in response.

"Who is this guy?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, you know, just my dad," Haley replied shakily.


	14. Closeness

**Closeness **(Chapter 14)

"I'm sorry. Did you just say he was your father?" Lucas asked.

"My birth father to be exact," Haley replied.

"You were adopted?" Lucas asked.

"No," Haley replied. Lucas looked at Nathan.

"I thought you two were close," Nathan said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Jimmy James couldn't have anymore children after Zach was born but he and Lydia wanted another kid. So Lydia went out and found some sap to screw so she could get pregnant. Then, she and Jimmy would raise sap's daughter as one of their own," Nathan replied.

"And you're saying that guy is…?" Lucas started.

"Meet the sap, Andrew Hargrove," Nathan replied.

"Hargrove? Isn't he the one that murdered Lydia?" Lucas asked. Nathan nodded and Lucas exhaled. He looked completely shock. His gaze wandered around the room resting on Haley. "Apparently we weren't _that_ close."

"Stay away from me," Haley ordered as she noticed her father moving closer and so she wheeled herself further away.

"Honey, I was worried about you when you didn't answer my last letter," Andrew replied.

"I didn't answer any of your letters," Haley said.

"I know," he said, nodding sadly.

"Well, most people would take that as a clear brush-off or a subtle 'leave me the hell alone'. And yet," Haley said, looking him over. "Here you are."

"I figured you would end up regretting your decision," Andrew said.

"Well, you were wrong," Haley said.

"Are you sure about that? Most people don't get a chance to know their birth parents. You should consider yourself lucky that you've been given the opportunity," Andrew said. Haley laughed.

"First of all, I have a father. One that makes me proud to be his daughter. Second, the only person I would give my right arm to get to know would be my mom who you killed. Any chance that I might've someday wanted to get to know you died along with her," Haley said.

"You don't mean that," Andrew said.

"Yes, she does," Anthony said, coming into the room.


	15. Big Brother

**Big Brother **(Chapter 15)

"You've got one hell of a nerve showing your face around here, Hargrove," Anthony said as he walked closer to the man. Anthony James was a marine. He was athletic; he had been the captain of the soccer, basketball and football teams his junior and senior years in high school. His injury prevented him from fighting in wars but it did not stop him from training new recruits and he was very good at that. He towered over almost everyone at six feet eight inches tall which made him very intimidating to Andrew Hargrove.

"The name is Andy Hargrove and you should show your elders more respect, young man," Andy said.

"You want me to show respect to the monster that killed my mom?" Anthony asked. He looked Andy over and could tell that that's exactly what the idiot had in mind. "To hell with that. Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without seeing my daughter," Andy said.

"You saw her and she told you to go to hell. So, leave and don't come back," Anthony said. Andy scoffed.

"If you think I'm going to let you poison her mind against me more than you already have, you're insane," Andy retorted.

"He doesn't have to. You've done a pretty good job of that all on your own," Haley said, wheeling closer to the door but still keeping her distance from Andy.

Andy's eyes widened at Haley. "Why are you in a wheelchair?" he asked, noticing it for the first time.

"I like playing wheelchair basketball," Haley retorted in a tone that made it clear she thought his question was ludicrous. Nathan couldn't help but smile. Sometimes he was so proud of her. His girlfriend was amazing; her guts, her style and her wit combined with her good nature made her irresistible to him. "I'm paralyzed. Why else would I be in a wheelchair?"

"What happened?" Andy asked.

"Absolutely none of your business," Haley replied sharply. Andy opened his mouth to ask something else but Haley shot him a silencing glare. Nathan had come to realize that Haley was pretty good at that; conveying everything with just a glance, an expression, a look or, most of the time, a glare.

"Weren't you busy talking with Lucas, Hales?" Anthony asked. Haley narrowed her eyes at her older brothers and then Anthony looked back at Andy. It was as if he were silently asking his sister which person she would prefer to talk to.

"Yeah and the conversation was very important so if you don't mind…" Haley started.

"I only want to talk to you for about five minutes," Andy said. Haley stopped to think for a second. There was urgency in his voice that made it clear he had no intention of leaving without being heard. Haley looked up at him.

"You have five _seconds_," Haley said, folding her arms across her chest, "and this better be good." Andy smiled down at her and reached inside his pocket and gave her something wrapped in a cloth. Haley unfolded the cloth to reveal a silver necklace with a dolphin attached to it.

"What is this?" Haley asked.

"It's a birthday present that I've been waiting nearly seventeen years to give you. I bought it the day I found out your mother was pregnant and I planned to give it to Lydia when you were born for safekeeping to give to you on our seventeenth birthday," Andy explained quickly. Very quickly. By the end of the sentence, he was nearly out of breath. She liked that he had taken her seriously. Not many people knew when she meant business. Haley folded it back up in the cloth.

"Thank you," she said. Her voice was empty. It wasn't devoid of emotion but lacking in conviction. It sounded undecided.

"You're welcome," Andy said. He looked around sadly and true to his word, he left, closing the door tightly behind him. Anthony exhaled.

"Finally. I thought I was going to have to bring out my gun and threaten to shoot him to get him to leave," Anthony said which brought a smile to Haley's face.

"Thanks for your help, Anthony," Haley said. Her brother looked down at her. He remained still for a second. He bent down and hugged his sister.

"No problem, squirt," he said and laughed when he felt Haley tense up. He pulled away just in time to see the scowl on her face.

"We were having a really touching brother-sister moment there and then you had to call me that, reminding me that you're my brother," Haley said indignantly. Anthony just smiled at her.

"Your big brother, squirt," Anthony said. Haley nodded thoughtfully. She released the breaks on her wheelchair and it slid a few inches, running over Anthony's left foot. Haley expertly turned herself around and smiled at the pained expression on her "big brother's" face.

"That you are but you're certainly not invincible," Haley remarked.


	16. Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!

_**A/N: So, this chapter is strictly Naley and there WILL be a turn in the story in this chapter. A realization will be made and what you thought was resolved will come back. Leave some words. Enjoy** Katy_ : )

**Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!** (Chapter 16)

2 weeks later…

Haley wheeled into the cafeteria on Monday afternoon. She headed towards the table in a slow, cautious manner. She stopped a few feet away and observed the group. They looked like any normal group of over prilvedged teenagers to the untrained eye. But Haley knew better than that especially with this group.

Two females were sitting right beside each other laughing with their other friends. These two were the rulers of the group. To each other, they were equals in the power they wielded even though to outsiders it looked like the blonde held all the power. To their other sides were the dutiful boyfriends. The loyal, steady and appreciative boyfriends that, in Haley's opinion, resembled poodles sometimes.

A smart person would have steered clear of this group because they would recognize that though they might be nice people to each other, they were vicious to outsiders. Haley knew the harsh reality of that truth firsthand. She could recall about thirty different students that she tutored alone, who had been victims of the rulers. And yet here she was about to step into the lion's den because she had messed up. She had forgotten about all the harsh things and fallen for one of them.

Nathan Scott could be so different from his friends that the fact that they were even friends mystified her. And yet at times, he was just like them and it was hard to imagine better friends for him. Haley didn't have rose-coloured glasses on. She recognized that along with all of his good qualities, he had more than his fair share of faults. Prior to her, Nathan had walked around with a line of broken hearts trailing behind him. He had used women. He slept with a girl one night and dumped the next and always had another girl waiting around the corner. He was arrogant, pig-headed and mean.

And Haley was not. She despised these qualities in a person and she had vowed never to consort with anyone who possessed them. So knowing all of these things about Nathan, she had fallen for him anyway. She cared about him a lot. She liked to think that she brought out his good nature and maybe she did but that didn't mean his bad nature had disappeared. It hadn't. It had been tucked away and only came out when she wasn't around. She had heard the rumours of another person Nathan had insulted whether it be a person he slept with before dating Haley, a fellow jock or a nerd and Haley had ignored it. She had convinced herself that it wasn't true or that they were just jealous that Nathan was popular.

All of a sudden, Haley James had become like them and the sad thing was that she didn't even see it. She had come to the table that morning to make amends with his friends because she knew he was uncomfortable with the situation. He never said anything but she could feel it and she didn't like that something about her made him feel uncomfortable. So she had taken it upon herself to make amends with Cruella and Ursula. Oblivious to what was going on, Haley wheeled up to the table and Lucas, Nathan, Jake, Tim, Theresa, Peyton and Brooke were all laughing.

"So what did you say after that?" Tim asked. Nathan shrugged.

"I sent her on her way," Nathan replied with an unfamiliar smile on his face.

"You can be such an ass sometimes," Brooke remarked.

"Oh, please. You're one to talk. I slept with her and she's been following me around ever since. I told her that I wasn't interested anymore but she didn't take no for an answer," Nathan said.

"So you decided to tell her that you slept with her on a dare?" Peyton asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn't want to hurt her feelings," Nathan said.

"How did you figure that that wouldn't hurt her feelings?" Theresa asked.

"I didn't want Melinda opening her mouth to the wrong person," Nathan replied.

"Like Haley?" Peyton asked cocking her head to the side. Nathan narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's not like I cheated on her. Melinda happened before I met Haley," he said.

"But you told her that you slept with her on a dare yesterday, Nathan. You were an ass and we both know why you don't want that information to get back to Haley," Lucas said. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"She'll never find out," Nathan said confidently. It was that moment that Haley had woken up. Nathan had not changed into a better person. He just hid his other side when they were together. She wheeled closer to the table intentionally banging her wheelchair into the side of the table. All heads at the table turned to see her. "Haley."

"Hi," she said.

"When did you get here?" Lucas asked. Haley looked at Nathan.

"During the laughing," she replied. Her gaze was still on Nathan but he didn't look at her. She didn't wait for him to lift his head. She wheeled herself around and left without another word.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, Nathan found Haley in the tutoring centre. "Hi," he said.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said momentarily glancing up at him.

"Can we talk about what you heard?" he asked.

"Not if you're going to try to excuse it," she replied.

"I won't," he said. She nodded and he sat down at the table. "I just hope you're not mad at me."

"I'm not mad," she said. He raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Cause you sure seemed mad when you left," he replied.

"I was but I'm not mad anymore," she replied.

"I know that what I said sounded cruel but I was only telling them what happened," he said.

"Nathan, you don't owe me an explanation," she said.

"I think I do. It's not everyday that you hear something like that coming from your boyfriend," he said.

Haley looked at him deadpan. "You're not my boyfriend," she replied, looking at him as his face collapsed. His mouth opened but no words came out. "At least not anymore."

"You said you weren't mad," he said.

"And I'm not. Nathan, it's not that I don't care about you because I do. It's just I can't be with you because of who you are," she said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"A lot of things," she replied.

"Don't be cryptic, Haley. If you're going to break up with me, I deserve to know what about me you despise so much," he said. His voice was full of anger.

"Your disregard for other people's feelings," she replied. Nathan scoffed.

"That's it? You're going to break up with me because I can be _mean_?" he asked. Haley shook her head.

"Every one can be mean. Myself included. I'm not a hypocrite. I can be mean and insulting to people and so can you. The difference is, is that you don't seem the least bit sorry for what you did to Melinda," Haley said.

"I have no reason to be guilty," he said.

"You slept with her and then to get rid of her, you told her that it was a dare and you don't think you should apologize?" she asked.

"That sort of thing happens all the time," he replied.

"Just because something happens often doesn't make it okay," Haley said.

"Using people for sex is a reality that you need to face, Haley. Not everyone is looking for love or even a relationship," Nathan said.

"Well, I am not one of those people and I can't be with someone who sees sex as a casual thing. I can't be with someone who treats a human being with feelings as if they were nothing more than a warm body," she spat. He got up and stood over her.

"Fine. If that's the way you see me then fine. I don't think I could be with someone as unforgiving as you anyways," he replied angrily.

"What?" she asked. Peyton, Brooke, Theresa, Jake and Lucas all came into the room.

"Nathan, we're going to go to the mall for the rest of lunch. Do you and Haley want to come?" Jake asked. Neither one answered them. Haley kept her eyes on Nathan silently prodding him to answer her question. He glanced at his friends and looked at Brooke and Peyton and opened his mouth.

"You have this holier than thou attitude, Haley and it's not fair. You will not tolerate anyone who doesn't meet your standards. Like with Peyton and Brooke," he replied, gesturing to his friends. "They were mean to someone and you haven't let them forget it. You paint them to be people that go around hurting people when they don't do that. I admit that they're not the nicest people in the world sometimes but they can be good. That's not good enough for you, though. People have to be nice and the moment they screw up, you turn your back on them. You show no mercy to anyone," Nathan said. Haley shook her head.

"I don't show mercy?" she asked incredulously. He nodded. "Where is your father, Nathan?"

"What?" he asked.

"I guess he's probably at work right now. But where should he be?" Haley asked.

"That's not fair," he said. Her eyes were on fire.

"He mowed me down with his car and dragged me for a block. He nearly killed me. He paralysed me. But did he check to see if I was okay? No, he didn't, did he? He drove away and left me for dead!" Haley exclaimed. The others were astounded. Peyton looked at Lucas questioningly. "You say I'm not capable of showing mercy to anyone but I showed mercy to him. I lost the use of my legs for the rest of my life because he was drunk and hit me with his car. He _should_ be rotting behind bars for that but he's not."

"He told his parents what he did. They were devastated and he was too. And the only reason he told them was because…," Nathan reminded her.

"Because I made him do it. His parents were devastated and disappointed in him because I wanted him to pay," Haley admitted without sentiment. Nathan nodded. She shrugged carelessly. "And so what?"

"So what?" he repeated. "You humiliated him in front of his parents!" he exclaimed.

"That doesn't compare to losing the ability to walk for the rest of my life," she replied. Her lips quivered as she looked down at her motionless legs that were placed in the chair. "It doesn't even come close!"

Nathan looked at her. "Do you guys want us to leave?" Brooke asked.

"Your father took away my _legs_ and he wasn't sorry for it either. And I didn't send him to jail when everything I was taught told me that I should have so don't you _dare_ tell me that I'm not capable of mercy," Haley said.

"You didn't forgive him. You chose not to send him to jail. That's not forgiveness," Nathan said.

"He doesn't want forgiveness because he is not sorry," Haley said. Nathan shook his head.

"Fine. This is getting us nowhere. If you are really so righteous that you can't look past one mistake then there's no point in trying to salvage this relationship," he said.

"I'm not going to apologize for who I am, Nathan," Haley said. He nodded and then shrugged.

"And I'm not going to pretend to feel something I don't," he said, referring to the fact that he didn't feel sorry for what happened with Melinda.

"Then there really is no point in trying to salvage this relationship. It's over," Haley concluded.

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "it is." He looked at her one last time and walked back to his friends.


	17. Afterboom

**Afterboom **(Chapter 17)

2 days later…

"Was Dan really the one that hit you?" Peyton asked. Haley's head snapped up from the desk she had been working at. She was clearly stunned to see Peyton in the tutoring center and talking to her.

"Yes," Haley replied. She wasn't in the mood for arguing.

"That sucks," Peyton said. Haley looked at her for a minute. "That your boyfriend's father was the one that paralysed you."

"_Ex_-boyfriend and he wasn't my boyfriend when it happened," Haley corrected. Peyton chuckled.

"You weren't actually serious about the break up were you?" Peyton asked.

"Have you seen me with Nathan since then?" Haley asked.

"Well, no, but it's only been two days. Sometimes when Luke and I fight, we don't talk for a week," she replied. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Nathan and I are through," Haley confirmed.

"Sure you are," Peyton said, unconvinced. She looked around the room for a few seconds and then returned her gaze to Haley and almost smiled at the glare she was confronted with.

"What do you want?" Haley asked.

"Nothing," Peyton replied.

"Then why are you here?" Haley asked, looking around the room.

"Maybe I want to give you some advice," Peyton said.

"Advice from you? I think I'll pass," Haley said, looking at her incredulously. Peyton's eyes narrowed.

"Okay, I've taken just about all the attitude from you that I can stand. You don't know me so don't treat me like that. It's not fair," Peyton said.

"Well, tough because I am," Haley replied.

"You don't have the right to," Peyton said.

"And what about Leah, 'cause you know you didn't have the right to treat her like that?" Haley retorted.

"That was a long time ago. Leah and I have put it behind us so you need to let it go," Peyton said.

"Sure I do. Just like I need to forgive Nathan because that's the real reason you're here, right?" Haley asked.

"Well, now that you bring it up, yes," Peyton said.

"Why?" Haley asked.

"Why what?" Peyton asked.

"Why are you here because of Nathan? Why do you care if we broke up?" Haley asked.

"Because I care about Nathan. He's one of my oldest friends and he really cares about you and I know you care about him too," Peyton said.

"I never said I didn't," Haley said.

"Call me crazy but breaking up with him wasn't exactly the best way of showing your affection," Peyton interrupted.

"Caring about him is not the issue. There is more to a relationship than feelings," Haley said.

"You mean the whole Melinda thing?" Peyton asked.

"Among other things, yes," Haley replied.

"You need to let that one go too," Peyton said.

"Like hell I do," Haley snapped.

"Why not? So Nathan made a mistake. It's not the end of the world," Peyton said.

"No, but I can't pretend that it is okay that he did it because it's not," Haley said.

"And I agree with you on that but breaking up with him is not going to change the fact that some people use others for sex," Peyton said.

"Those others have feelings and the people using them should take them into consideration," Haley said.

"And if the world was a perfect place, they would. But the world isn't perfect. People are nowhere near perfect. We all make mistakes. We all do stupid things and we all get treated like dirt from time to time. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be," Peyton said.

"I don't need a lecture on human nature, thanks. I'm not some naïve little girl. I know how tough things can be," Haley said.

"Sometimes I wonder if that's true, Haley. It's hard to tell with the way you act sometimes," Peyton said.

"What's your point?" Haley asked.

"My point is that like everyone else, Nathan did a stupid thing and made a mistake. You need to forgive him and not just for him," Peyton said.

"What other reason is there?" Haley asked.

"Because whether you want to admit it or not, you need Nathan. You two were only together for a short time, but I noticed the difference in your behaviours. You compliment each other and you help one another," Peyton said. Haley went rigid with defiance. Peyton sighed. "Well, at least think about it before you really lose him."

"Hey, Nathan," Lucas said, coming into the locker room after practice.

"Hey, Luke," Nathan replied flatly. Lucas looked up at his brother and studied him.

"Something wrong, little bro?" Lucas asked.

"No. Why?" Nathan asked.

"You just seem a little down. What's bothering you?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Nathan replied.

"I'm not buying it, Nathan," Lucas said.

"Well, good luck with that," Nathan said, getting up to leave. He was almost out the door before Lucas called back to him.

"It's Haley, isn't it?" Lucas said. Nathan stopped in his tracks and remained still for a minute. When he turned around and looked at his brother, Lucas was grinning at him.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked nonchalantly. Lucas snorted.

"Drop the act, Nate. You're not very good at lying when it comes to her. You know I'm talking about you missing her," Lucas said.

"Yeah, I miss her. We just broke up," Nathan said.

"You didn't really break up, Nathan," Lucas said.

"Yes, we did," Nathan said. Lucas shook his head.

"I don't think either one of you were actually serious. It was just a fight. A big one, but a fight nonetheless. You'll work it out," Lucas said.

"I don't think we will because there's nothing to work out. Haley and I are just too different to be together. There's too many issues between us too," Nathan said.

"Number one: anything that is easy isn't really worth having in my opinion. Number two: haven't you ever heard that opposites attract? You know that I was a little surprised when you told me you two were together. I believe I laughed in response," Lucas said.

"I remember," Nathan said stiffly.

"It was just so ludicrous when you told me but now that I've seen you two together and what you do for one another, I can't imagine you not being together," Lucas said.

"Well, you don't have to imagine, Lucas because we're not together anymore," Nathan reminded him.

"Pfft! Like I said, you'll work it out," Lucas said.

"I don't think so," Nathan said regretfully.


	18. Operation: Reunite Naley

_**I've been going over the outline for this story and I've made some ammendments. This story will only have 20 chapters so that means it's almost over but I do promise a Naley reunion before it's over like I promised. I mean, it is Naley. How can they not end up together? LOL. So I'm done with chapter 18 and I decided to post it. I'm like halfway done with chapter 19 and then I'll be starting chapter 20. Man, this fic is almost over. I'm already having separation anxiety here. ANYWAYS, here's the next chapter. Leave some words. Enjoy** Katy_

**Operation: Reunite Naley **(Chapter 18)

Brooke sat down in her best friend's room and thumbed through a magazine. A few minutes later, the door swung open and both Peyton and Lucas walked into the room. "Brooke, what are you doing here?" Peyton asked, as she came and sat down on her bed.

"We had plans to go to the mall today. I explained this to your dad and he was kind enough to let me in. He said that I could wait here until you showed up," Brooke explained, not even glancing up from the magazine.

"I forgot we had plans. Sorry," Peyton said, taking the magazine out of her hands and throwing it onto the stack that Brooke had taken it from.

"Well, you're forgiven as long as you tell me what was so pressing that it made you forget," Brooke replied, shooting a glare at her for taking the magazine away.

"I was talking to Haley," Peyton said. Brooke sat up straight and stared at her in disbelief.

"Tutor girl? What for?" she asked.

"Well, you remember that she and Nathan broke up a few days ago," Peyton started.

"Yeah, and to be honest, I can't believe they didn't break up sooner. It was only a matter of time before their differences got in the way, if you ask me," she burst out. Peyton suppressed a smile. Brooke had always been the type to say what was on her mind the exact moment a thought entered it.

"I disagree," Lucas said. Brooke looked up at him in amusement.

"That's because buried underneath all that broodiness, you're a hopeless romantic. At the end of the day, you want to believe that the shy, quiet girl and the big jock can actually stay together," Brooke said.

"What's wrong with that?" Lucas asked, not even trying to deny her characterization of him.

"Nothing's wrong with idealistic thinking when it comes to romance movies or a sappy novel, but this is the real world," Brooke replied. Lucas looked at Peyton.

"I think what our friend is trying to say is that even though opposites attract, they don't always stay together," Peyton said.

Lucas scoffed. "We did," he said.

"Yeah and look at what it cost you," Brooke interjected before Peyton could even open her mouth to respond.

"I made that choice all on my own and since then, I've realized my mistake. That's why I'm doing this for Nathan and Haley," Lucas said. Peyton's eyes widened and she turned to her boyfriend. She shook her head and glared at him.

Lucas didn't even realize why until Brooke opened her mouth again. "What are you doing for Nathan and Haley?" she asked.

"Nothing," Peyton replied quickly.

"Nice try, P. Sawyer," Brooke said and then she turned to Lucas, "what are you doing for them?"

"Trying to get them to see the error of their ways," he replied. Brooke looked at him in confusion and so Peyton explained what he meant. A few minutes later, she was even more confused.

"I get what you're doing. I do. But what I don't understand is why," Brooke said.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked.

"Just that up until two days ago, you could barely stand to be in the same room with Haley and now, all of a sudden, you want to help her. Why?" Brooke replied.

"I realized that I was wrong about her. Not everything between us is ok and yeah, I'm still pissed at her but then again, I was out of line with Leah. We both were," Peyton said.

"Sure we were," Brooke said with no trace of sarcasm in her voice, "but that wasn't the issue. It's high school after all. That sort of thing happens all the time."

"Then what were you so pissed at Haley for?" Lucas asked.

"I was never pissed at her. I was just surprised and a little unnerved by her," Brooke said.

"What?" Peyton asked. 

"Well, there was not a guy in school that didn't want us and there was not a girl in school that didn't want to be us. That gave us a whole lot of power over the students and no one dared to defy us because they knew like everyone else, that we ruled the school," Brooke said. Peyton nodded in understanding but Lucas still gave her a blank stare.

"Haley knew that too. She'd seen it and yet she still stood up for Leah. It was as if she didn't care that we could snuff out her popularity as easily as a candle and _that_ is what bothered me about her," Brooke continued.

"So this whole war with her was because she wasn't afraid to stand up to you?" Lucas asked.

"Of course. What else would it be about?" Brooke replied.

"Well, maybe her family or the fact that she was poor," Lucas offered listing off some of the things that Brooke had insulted Haley about. Brooke only laughed.

"Come off it, Luke. I'm not that superficial. I bugged her about that stuff in an attempt to put her in her place but it never seemed to work so it made me angrier," Brooke said.

"So you don't actually hate Haley?" he asked.

"No, of course not. I actually think she can be pretty nice but I'll never admit that to her," Brooke said.

"So, then, why don't you help us?" Peyton asked. Brooke laughed.

"Like I said, I'll never admit that to her. One thing I do have a lot of is pride. Far too much for me to admit that she was right about Leah," she replied.

Most people would hate Brooke for the things she had just said but Peyton found a new respect for her friend. Unlike most people, Brooke admitted that she had flaws but she made no apologies for them. Her personality screamed that she was who she was and people could either accept that or reject it but she wouldn't change for anyone.

"You don't have to admit that she was right. Haley won't even know about what we're doing," Lucas said.

She looked from Peyton to Lucas and then lowered her gaze to the floor. She leaned back against the bed and smiled up at them. "Just for the sake of argument, let's say I'll help- and I'm not promising that I will-, I need to know exactly what I'm getting into," she said.

"Okay," Peyton said cautiously.

"What's your brilliant plan to get Nathan and Haley back together?" Brooke asked. Peyton and Lucas smiled at her mischievously as they started to tell her their plan.

Lucas and Peyton both walked into the tutoring center the next day. Haley was working at the same desk. Lucas cleared his throat which startled Haley. She jumped and all the papers on the desk went flying. She looked up and shot an annoyed glance at Lucas. "Damn it!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, Hales. Let me help you," Lucas said, coming over to the desk, bending down and picking up the papers. He put them in a neat pile in the middle of her desk.

"What's going on?" Haley asked, noticing Peyton lurking in the doorway. Lucas looked at her and motioned for her to come in. Peyton came in but remained a few feet away.

"Peyton has something to say to you," Lucas said. Haley rolled her eyes but turned her attention to Peyton. Peyton was silent.

"Well?" Haley asked. Peyton smiled nervously and stepped forward.

"I know this may seem a little late in coming but I wanted to apologize," Peyton said. Haley blinked.

"What?" she asked.

"I was wrong to treat Leah the way I did and I was wrong to attack you when you stuck up for her. You were right, I was wrong and I'm sorry for insulting your family that time. I really don't know them and it was unfair to trash them because I was mad at you," Peyton said. Haley cocked her head to the side and then straightened herself. She wheeled out from behind the desk and came closer to Peyton.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but do you mind me asking what brought this on." Haley asked.

"Excuse me?" Peyton asked.

"Well, for three years, you were fine with the way things were and now you suddenly want to apologize. It seems to me that you have convenient timing," Haley said.

"Convenient timing?" Lucas repeated.

"I just broke up with Nathan and now you want to apologize. You wouldn't be feeling sorry for me by any chance, would you?" Haley asked. Peyton's eyes widened.

"No, of course not. Your break-up with Nathan was your own doing. I have nothing to feel guilty about in that respect. I just figured it was time to bury the hatch," Peyton replied.

"Why?" Haley asked.

"Because this ridiculous feud has gone on for far too long, Haley. Surely you must recognize that," Peyton said.

"Actually, I did which is why I came to the cafeteria that day," she admitted.

"You came to the cafeteria to apologize?" Peyton asked.

"Well, I hoped that I wouldn't be the only one apologizing, but, yes, I was. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked," Haley replied. Peyton smiled and then looked at her. "I'm sorry for dragging you into something that was really about Luke. I'm sorry for insulting you and Brooke those times."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lucas asked her.

"Like what?" Haley asked.

"You hit her and then poured water over your head," Lucas said. Haley smiled at the memory and then turned to Peyton.

"I won't apologize for doing that. You had it coming," Haley said and Peyton widened her eyes in surprise, "but I will apologize for letting things get that far." Peyton nodded and for emphasis, they shook hands. Then both girls turned to Lucas.

"What?" he asked.

"You have a lot of things to apologize for too, Luke," Peyton reminded him. Lucas bit his lip.

"And I'm waiting," Haley said, smiling.


	19. The Best Laid Plans

_**A/N: Second last chapter completed. Oh, boy. The end is near. I agree with you guys; it's going to be hard to say goodbye. Here's the next chapter. Leave some words. Enjoy** Katy_

**The Best Laid Plans** (Chapter 19)

"I was a jerk and I never should've shut you out because you put me in what I thought was a difficult position," Lucas said. Haley was not moved.

"And?" Peyton asked, enjoying the switch. Usually it was she was the one in Lucas' place.

"And it was wrong of me to expect you to forgive me when I decided to waltz back in your life out of pity," he said. Still no smile.

"Go on," Haley said.

"I'm also sorry for being such a horrible friend. You were right; I never would've stuck up for Leah and I shouldn't have yelled at you because you did," he said.

"You're still forgetting one thing," Haley said, looking at him expectantly.

"What am I forgetting?" he asked. Haley rolled her eyes and looked at Peyton and then returned her attention back to him and he nodded. "I never should've thrown away an eight-year friendship over a six-month relationship with a girl I didn't even love at the time."

"Damn right you shouldn't have," Haley said.

"Your turn," Lucas said.

Haley scoffed. "I have nothing to apologize for. I'm not the one who forgot our friendship. You made the mistake," she said.

"What mistake?" he asked.

"You forgot that I am the best friend you'll ever have, Luke, and you'll never find someone to replace me no matter how hard you try," she said.

"I know. I looked high and low but no one could outdo you as a klutz," he said. Haley glared at him.

"That's not funny," she said.

"But it couldn't be more true," Lucas said.

"I'm suddenly wondering why I put up with you for as long as I did," Haley said.

"Because you love me and you knew that I am the best friend you'll ever have," Lucas shot back. Haley laughed.

"So we have to go and set up for the party tonight. Hope to see you there, Haley," Peyton said.

"I don't go to those parties," Haley said.

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"Because while I have a newfound respect for you, Peyton and I have sort of forgiven you, Luke, I do not get along well with your friends," Haley said.

"Times are changing, Haley. Maybe you can connect with some of our friends. At least think about it," Peyton said as they left. Haley ran her hand along the armrest of her wheelchair contemplating whether or not she was really ready to face the popular crowd on their turf.

Lucas walked into his brother's room and shook his head at the sight. Nathan was lying down on his bed flat on his stomach and he was snoring very loudly. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't already four in the afternoon on a Saturday afternoon. He walked over to his brother's sound system and turned the radio on, putting the volume up to the highest setting the system allowed.

Within an instant, Nathan was wide awake. He jumped up, accidentally throwing the covers aside and looked as if he was about to attack. His eyes took in the room and his gaze rested on Lucas' smiling face. "Time to get up, sleepyhead," he said, chuckling at the daggers in Nathan's eyes.

"Go away, Lucas," Nathan said, lying back down on his bed, "I'm not in the mood for your cheeriness."

Lucas laughed. "Come on, Nate. It's way past time for you to get up. All you ever do is sleep, eat and expel waste. It's Saturday afternoon and it's almost Saturday night," he said.

"And your point is?" Nathan asked lazily.

"That it's almost Saturday night," Lucas replied as if it were the stupidest question he'd ever heard.

"So what?" Nathan asked.

"So the Nathan Scott I know was never one to miss a party," Lucas said.

"That Nathan Scott is long dead. This Nathan Scott is only interested in one thing and that is sleep," Nathan replied before closing his eyes.

"Don't you mean two things?" Lucas asked. Nathan opened his eyes and looked at his brother expectantly. "Well, really only one thing since the sleeping thing is only so you have to avoid being awake."

"Why would I want to avoid being awake?" Nathan asked.

"If you're not awake, then you can't miss Haley," Lucas replied easily.

"Give me a break," Nathan groaned.

"Although, sleeping in isn't really the best way to avoid missing her now, is it? You obviously still dream about her," Lucas said. Nathan glared at him.

"No, I don't," Nathan argued.

Lucas raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes," Nathan insisted and Lucas could tell he was getting aggravated but he couldn't help but chuckle.

"So I was just imagined hearing you call out to her in your sleep last night, did I?" Lucas shot back. Nathan widened his eyes in embarrassment.

"Is there a point to all this?" Nathan asked, ignoring his brother's question.

"You need to come out tonight," Lucas said.

"Or I need to kick your ass so I can get back to sleep," Nathan said.

"That's your anger talking. Just ignore that and go with the impulse that's screaming 'party'," Lucas said, laughing.

"If I go, will it get you off my back for at least another hour?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, it will," Lucas replied.

"Fine. I'll set my damn alarm and I'll get dressed and call you when I'm ready. Now I'm assuming that Brooke is throwing this party, right?" Nathan said.

"If a party is not thrown by Brooke Davis, it's not even worth going to and I certainly waste all this time to get you awake if Brooke and Peyton weren't on my ass about it," Lucas said. Nathan chuckled.

"Whipped," he teased as his brother started to leave.

"At least I have a girlfriend," Lucas called back and before Nathan could respond, the door slammed shut. Nathan sighed heavily as the full meaning of what his brother's words dawned on him. It was a dig at him of course. Nathan had screwed up, ignored his heart and listened to his pride and lost his girlfriend because of it.

Outside of Nathan's room, Lucas was dialled a cell phone. "Hello?" Brooke asked.

"He's coming. Is she?" he asked.

"She's already here," Brooke said.

"Good," Lucas said and hung up.

The party had been in full swing by the time Nathan arrived. Brooke was already mumbling incoherent words and stringing words into sentences that made absolutely no sense and Jake was trying to convince her that it was time that they left.

Peyton and Lucas were sitting on the couch with Theresa and Tim seated opposite them. Peyton was leaning on her elbow, staring intently at someone. Nathan turned his gaze to the person and nearly fell down when he recognized the wheelchair.

What in the world was Haley James doing at a party thrown by Brooke Davis? What was she doing in his world with his friends? And how was it that she was actually getting along with Peyton and laughing with Lucas?

He felt as if the world had suddenly gone "Poseidon" on him. It was as if he didn't know which way was up. Haley's laughter filled the room as she tilted her head back and that's when their gazes locked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he came closer.

Haley frowned at him. "I was invited," she replied.

"And you still came?" he asked.

"I'm here, aren't I?" she returned.


	20. Denial with a Little Party Thrown In

_**A/N: As this story draws to a close, I'd like to take a minute to thank the following people:**_

_Ifyouonlyknewthetruh_

_Laura 369_

_Tutorgirl323_

_Chris-Crips_

_Haley Youmans_

_Geekindork_

_nathanandhaleyislove_

_TVaddict023_

_Naley-obsseshuz-xOx_

_OTHFAN23V_

_CCScott23_

_Nathanlvr_

_Bluechampaegne_

_Kirsty_

_NaleyOTH23_

_Emily Carol_

_Crazy4fiction_

_suki1916_

_23sUrBOYtoy_

_L._

_Kelly.Louise_

_KAyla_

_Jas_

_maybe its maybelline_

_cowgoil10_

_Nicki-huny_

_NaleyBob_

_Lorilozz_

_Clois4ever_

_spacemunky55_

_jayblue00_

_Izzie23_

_iene_

_**95 reviews is the highest amount of reviews I've ever received. I think. And I am very grateful to you guys for taking the time to review this story. It puts a smile on my face and I will get around to answering each and every one of them. **_

_**A/N 2: tear The end is finally here and I've had such a great time writing this fic and answering all the questions and comments. The response to this story exceeded my wildest expectations and it was amazing to hear from you guys. But, alas, all good things must come to an end :( and that time is here. Gee, am I dramatic or what:rolleyes: It's not like I don't have 3 or 4 other stories in the works or anything which I will be updating more frequently now that this one is over. Next up on my watch is "Open Door Policy" and it make take a while for me to finish chapter three but it will be finished and added most likely by Friday. So here's the last sniffle chapter. Leave some words. Enjoy** Katy_

**Denial with a Little Party Thrown **In (Chapter 20)

Haley turned her wheelchair and headed towards the kitchen of the house. Nathan sat down on Peyton's other side. Peyton grabbed a pillow from behind Lucas and started hitting Nathan with it. "Jerk!" she exclaimed in between hits.

"Ow, jeez, Peyton, what is your problem?" he asked, shielding himself with his arms. Then he looked to Lucas who was laughing his head off. "A little help here… dear brother."

Lucas sat back for a few seconds and then grabbed the pillow from Peyton which helped until Peyton grabbed another pillow and started hitting Lucas. "You're taking the jerk's side over mine?" she asked as she held off for a second.

"No, of course not. I just don't want to have to drive him to the hospital," Lucas replied, with amusement in his eyes. Peyton eyed him carefully for a minute and then hit Lucas one final time. Then Peyton turned to Nathan and held the pillow up threateningly.

"Wait. Before you continue, let the condemned man have his peace," Nathan said. Peyton's brow wrinkled.

"What?" she asked.

"What did I do to deserve an attack?" Nathan asked without explaining. Peyton rolled her eyes.

"You were an ass to Haley," Peyton said. Nathan looked at her in confusion. Peyton was standing up for Haley. He was definitely in an alternate universe.

"Since when do you care?" Nathan asked. Peyton hit him with the pillow.

"Since we made peace with each other and I don't have to like a girl to think _you_ are an ass. I think you're an ass when you do the things you do to complete strangers," Peyton snapped.

"But I didn't _do_ anything. All I did was ask her what she was doing here," Nathan said.

"That's what you did wrong," Peyton said. Nathan looked at Lucas.

"You're confusing me, Peyton. It doesn't make sense that I'm an ass for just asking someone a simple question," Nathan said, shaking his head. Peyton rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't _that_ you asked, Nathan, it was the _way_ you asked her. You acted as if she had no right to be here when _she_ was invited," Peyton explained.

"So was I," Nathan said.

"Not by me," Peyton said.

"This isn't your house or your party, for that matter. It's Brooke's," Nathan reminded her.

"I didn't invite you either," Brooke said coming to sit down again. Nathan looked shocked.

"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. I'm out but _Haley_ is in?" he asked.

"No," Brooke said and Nathan shot her a confused look, "You don't require an invitation and you know it. You get to be here because it would be against nature if you weren't. But I did invite Haley and so she has every right to be here and you don't get to treat one of my guests like crap because you have issues."

"Issues?" Nathan repeated.

"You wouldn't be all over Haley about being here if you didn't still care so don't add insult to injury by lying about it now, Nate," Brooke said.

"Since when do _you_ care?" Nathan shot back.

"I don't. I'm just sick of the two of you acting as if you don't still have feelings for one another. It puts a whole damper on everything around you which, for the moment, includes me," Brooke said.

"Could you please explain what the heck that is supposed to mean?" Nathan asked. Brooke flashed her signature smile that was meant to show that she thought Nathan wasn't worth her time and she didn't have to tell him anything. Nathan just glared at her and she almost burst out laughing.

"My parents are on the verge of divorce. I know it, you know it, P. Sawyer knows it, Broody knows it and deep down, even they know it but they refuse to take that final step and admit it. They keep trying to fix their doomed marriage and they can't see that any attempt they make is futile and it really only makes things worse," Brooke said. 

"That's very sad but what does it have to do with me and Haley?" Nathan asked.

"You and Haley are like my parents," Brooke said with a regretful smile. "You're all living in a place I like to call Denial. My parents are in denial about the state of their marriage and you and Haley are in denial about your feelings for one another. You're convinced that they're gone but the truth is that they're there and they're stronger than ever."

Nathan looked away so that his friends wouldn't see his face that would most likely mirror what he was feeling. He knew he still cared about Haley; he wouldn't be so miserable if he didn't. But at the same time, the reasons that they broke up were still there and he didn't know if they could work through them. He sighed with frustration and stood up, walking away from them.

"Where are you going?" Lucas called and Nathan just turned around. He looked at his brother and then Lucas' mouth curved into an oddly triumphant smile.

"Hey, I've been looking for you," Nathan said as he walked out into the backyard and saw Haley at the patio just before the pool. She turned around and looked at him.

"I needed some air," she said.

"Is it too stuffy in there?" he asked. Haley nodded. "I could ask Brooke to turn up the air conditioner if you want."

"Not because it was too hot, Nathan," Haley said. Nathan looked at her. "Too many egos stuffed in one room. It takes a little getting used to." Surprisingly, he cracked a smile.

"Yeah, it does," he said agreeably and then he walked over to where she was.

"I came here tonight because Peyton, Luke and Brooke invited me. We've recently decided to try and work things out and I guess coming here was a test," she said.

"You think they set you up?" Nathan asked, slightly offended. His friends could do a lot of mean things but they would never invite someone to a party to set them up. That was actually more Nathan's style.

"No," Haley said, "I was testing myself to see if I could hack it or deal with it all."

"And?" he asked.

"They're nice enough and I could see us getting along but I don't think I'm cut out for the popularity thing. Parties, drinking and hanging out at the mall isn't really my cup of tea," Haley said.

"No, you're far too adventurous. Your type of thing is snooping through your brother's room," Nathan said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"I was only trying to take back my property. Besides, you didn't have to bring me upstairs you know. You could've said no," Haley said, smiling.

"Haley, you and I both know that I could have never said no to you," he said. Haley laughed and then her laughter died as she processed his meaning. She turned her head up and was surprised to meet his intense and piercing blue eyes.

"So what are you saying, Nathan, I'm your Achilles heel or something?" Haley asked pointedly.

"I used to think so," he admitted.

"Explain that statement or otherwise, wheelchair or no, I'm going to shove you in that pool," she said warningly. Nathan was not scared and he looked at her mockingly. She took off her breaks and advanced on him. She almost had him to the edge of the pool until he scooped her out of the chair and sat her down at with him at the edge, carefully folding her legs so that she was sitting cross-legged.

"You're not a weakness, Haley. You're my strength. It's when I'm not around you that I'm weak and I know that sounds cheesy or ridiculous but it's true," Nathan said.

"But what does that mean, Nathan?" Haley exclaimed. She looked at him and shook her head. "We tried this before and it didn't work." Nathan nodded and then he turned his head. When he looked back at her, his eyes were closed off. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"When we got together, we were going through some pretty rough stuff. Your paralysis, my dad's part in it, and your own dad coming back and making a mess of things. We were serious all the time and we never really did anything together or we never stopped and had some real fun," Nathan said.

"A relationship is more than having fun with each other," Haley said.

"Well, we've pretty much got the drama requirement down to a tee. It's time to have some fun," he said.

"Fun, huh?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. Haley leaned back on her arms and smirked at him mischievously. When he wasn't expecting it, Haley pushed him into the pool and he came up sputtering. Haley was laughing her head off. 

"I think you're on to something. That was definitely fun," she said in between giggles. Nathan glared at her.

"Well, if it's so fun, then, you wouldn't mind joining me," he said, coming over to the edge where she was sitting. He took off her shoes and socks.

"Uh, I can't go in there. I can't stand," she said.

"Then I'll hold you up. Either way, you're coming in," he said, reaching forward to bring her in.

"Nathan, if you bring me in there, I swear that I'm going to…" Haley said as Nathan brought her into the pool and then kissed her while wrapping her legs around him and then wrapping his arms around her back, holding her up.

"You're going to what?" he asked, smiling when he broke the kiss. Haley looked a little worried but then noticed what he had done and smiled at him. She looked at him for a second before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm going to kiss you," she said as she leaned in closer. Nathan chuckled.

"I think I can handle that punishment," he said as their lips met.

"It worked!" Peyton exclaimed from inside as she, Brooke and Lucas stood at the patio doors watching Haley and Nathan kiss in the pool.

"Your speech really worked, Brooke. Good job," Lucas said.

"Well, I only did it because I hate seeing Nathan mope around. It's kind of pathetic. And it was fun to lecture him too," Brooke said.

"And she loves to talk," Jake added, coming closer and putting his arms around Brooke's waist.

"Watch it, mister," Brooke warned. Jake nuzzled her neck and Brooke smiled widely as she turned her head and kissed him.

"Come on," he said and they left. Peyton shook her head and looked at Lucas.

"You did a good thing with me, Pey. Thanks," he said. Peyton smiled.

"No problem, Luke. I did it because I love you and I know how much you care about Nathan and Haley and if having them together is important to you, it's important to me too. It helps that they're together too. Haley keeps that ass in line," Peyton said. Lucas laughed.

"And Nathan helps her to relax and enjoy herself even when things turn to crap," Lucas added. The couple glanced back at the other couple and then smiled at one another and left to go upstairs.

"Thanks for not giving up on me, Nathan," Haley said as he pulled her up beside him on the edge of the pool. They sat with their legs in the pool. Nathan smiled as he leaned over and kissed her.

"It'll never happen," he promised.

The End

**_A/N 3: And that's all I wrote. Don't forget to reply..._**


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